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

本计画将研究以电荷传输聚合物形成之混合异质接面光侦测器。该财团建议将这些设备开发为低成本的有机光传感器，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来创造新型聚合物半导体材料，并通过器件架构和工艺开发来优化其性能，重点是提高有机光电探测器（OPD）器件的效率和色灵敏度。对于最终应用程序，开发目标将由最终用户柯达的需求驱动，柯达是该项目的合作伙伴。该项目将建立在一个正在进行的EPSRC项目的基础上，该项目通过提供目前缺乏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证明，并且是开发商业设备所必需的。先前的开发也是通过与CDT合作建立的有机光伏（OPV）技术以及先前DTI资助的CDT（PLACES）项目进行的，该项目专注于将这种OPV技术应用于太阳能电池应用。该项目将集中于聚合物共混OPD设备，由剑桥大学和CDT率先。激子在器件的活性聚合物共混物层中产生，并在活性层中的材料之间的界面处分离成电子和空穴，并传输到电极。聚合物的性质，如光吸收、电离电位和迁移率，对于器件的操作至关重要。CDT将开发新的材料组合，包括具有改进的电子传输特性的聚合物，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操作中涉及的物理过程，以优化器件操作，确定器件性能和共混结构之间的关系，并提供材料设计的反馈，以开发有用的，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.