Selective photocurrent generation in the transparent wavelength range of a semiconductor photovoltaic device using a phonon-assisted optical near-field process

In this paper, we propose a novel photovoltaic device using P3HT and ZnO as test materials for the ptype and n-type semiconductors, respectively. To fabricate an electrode of this device, Ag was deposited on a P3HT film by RF-sputtering under light illumination (wavelength λ₀ = 660 nm) while reversely biasing the P3HT/ZnO pnjunction. As a result, a unique granular Ag film was formed, which originated from a phonon-assisted process induced by an optical near-field in a self-organized manner. The fabricated device generated a photocurrent even though the incident light wavelength was as long as 670 nm, which is longer than the long-wavelength cutoff λ_c (= 570 nm) of the P3HT. The photocurrent was generated in a wavelength-selective manner, showing a maximum at the incident light wavelength of 620 nm, which was shorter than λ₀ because of the Stark effect brought about by the reverse bias DC electric field applied during the Ag deposition.