Organic Photodetectors for Applications as Low-cost Sensors (OPALS)

本项目将研究使用电荷传输聚合物形成的混合异质结光探测器。该联盟建议将这些设备开发为低成本有机光传感器，用于数字射线照相面板，以及图像传感器。合作伙伴将利用其丰富的专业知识创造新型聚合物半导体材料，并通过设备架构和工艺开发优化其性能，重点是提高有机光电探测器(OPD)设备的效率和颜色灵敏度。对于最终应用，开发目标将由终端用户柯达的需求驱动，柯达是该项目的合作伙伴。该项目将建立在正在进行的EPSRC项目的基础上，该项目通过提供目前缺乏的、开发商业设备所必需的工业质量的新材料，为闪烁体/聚合物光电探测器组合提供了概念验证。之前的开发也是通过与CDT合作建立的有机光伏(OPV)技术进行的，以及CDT(Places)先前由DTI资助的一个项目，该项目侧重于将该OPV技术应用于太阳能电池应用。该项目将专注于由剑桥大学和CDT率先开发的聚合物混合OPD器件。激子在器件的有源聚合物混合层中产生，并在有源层中的材料之间的界面处分离成电子和空穴，并被传输到电极。聚合物的性能，如光吸收、电离电势和迁移率对设备操作至关重要。CDT将开发新的材料组合，包括具有改进的电子传输性能的聚合物，并将在光电探测器设备中进行评估。剑桥大学卡文迪什实验室的作用是研究这些器件运行中涉及的物理过程，以优化器件运行，确定器件性能与共混结构之间的关系，并为材料设计提供反馈，以开发有用、高效的聚合物光电探测器。

This project will study blend heterojunction photodetectors formed using charge-transporting polymers. The consortium proposes to develop these devices as low-cost organic light sensors for application in digital radiographic panels, as well as image sensors. The partners will use their considerable expertise to create novel polymer semiconductor materials and optimise their performance through device architecture and process development, with a focus on improving the efficiency and colour sensitivity of organic photodetector (OPD) devices. For final applications the development targets will be driven by the demands of the end user, Kodak, who is a partner in this project. This project will build on the foundation of an ongoing EPSRC project that has provided proof of concept for scintillator/polymer photodetector combinations, by providing new materials of industrial quality that are currently lacking, and which are necessary to develop commercial devices. Previous development has also been carried out through an organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology established through collaboration with CDT, and a previous DTI funded project at CDT (PLACES), which focused on applying this OPV technology in solar cell applications. This project will focus on polymer blend OPD devices, pioneered by the University of Cambridge and CDT. Excitons are generated in the active polymer blend layer of the device and are separated into electrons and holes at interfaces between the materials in the active layer and transported to the electrodes. The properties of the polymers, such as light absorption, ionisation potential and mobility are critical for device operation. New materials combinations will be developed by CDT, including polymers with improved electron transport properties, and will be assessed in photodetector devices. The role of the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge is to study the physical processes involved in the operation of these devices in order to optimise device operation, to determine the relationship between device performance and blend structure, and to provide feedback on materials design to develop useful, efficient polymer photodetectors.