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Copyright 2004 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright 2004 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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components of modulation which are in phase and 90j out of phase with theexcitation. Monitoring the signal as a function of chopping frequency andpump intensity provides information about the lifetime and recombinationmechanism of the excited species.Electrical characterization of films containing nanocrystals can usevarious different measurement geometries; however, we have concentratedon measurements in simple planar structures, similar to that shown in Fig. 1,where a thin film is placed between metal electrodes. Spin-coating is aconvenient technique for producing uniform films of nanocrystals or of nanocrystal/polymerblends, and the top contact can be deposited on the activefilm <strong>by</strong> vacuum evaporation at rates of 1 – 2 A˚ /s. Use of a nitrogen-filled glovebox allows device preparation and measurement to be performed withoutexposure to air. Measurement of current–voltage (IV) curves is straightforward,although we have found that time-dependent effects complicate theinterpretation [33]. Where the device acts as an LED, the light output may bemeasured simultaneously. The electroluminescence quantum efficiency is thendefined as the ratio of the number of photons produced within the device tothe number of charges flowing in the external circuit. Quantum efficienciesmay be defined as either ‘‘internal’’ or ‘‘external,’’ depending on whether allthe generated photons are considered or just those which escape through thefront surface of the device. In the context of applications, the brightness of adevice in the forward direction is often measured in candelas per square meter,where the candela (cd) is a photometric unit where the radiant power isweighted according to the response of the eye. Efficiencies are therefore oftenquoted in units of candelas per ampere.Measurement of photocurrent in a planar device requires one contactthat is semitransparent, typically either a thin metal film or indium–tin oxide.Measurement of the current–voltage curve under illumination allows theshort-circuit current, l sc and open-circuit voltage, V oc , to be defined as shownin Fig. 5. A quantum efficiency (QE) may be defined (usually under shortcircuitconditions) as the ratio of electrons flowing in the external circuit tophotons incident on the device. The quantum efficiency will depend on thewavelength of the incident radiation; this dependence defines the ‘‘actionspectrum’’ of the device. For photovoltaic applications, it is the powerconversion efficiency which is the appropriate figure of merit, defined as theratio of electrical power extracted to the optical power incident. Maximumpower output is given not under short-circuit or open-circuit conditions, butwhere the load is chosen to maximize the product of current and voltage. Forillumination at a single wavelength, the power efficiency (PE) is related to thequantum efficiency <strong>by</strong>PE ¼ QEeV ocFFð13ÞE photon<strong>Copyright</strong> <strong>2004</strong> <strong>by</strong> <strong>Marcel</strong> <strong>Dekker</strong>, <strong>Inc</strong>. <strong>All</strong> <strong>Rights</strong> <strong>Reserved</strong>.

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