Plasmonic concentrators for enhanced light absorption in ultrathin film organic photovoltaics

We report on experimental absorption enhancement in 24 and 150-nm-thick bulk heterojunctions of the conducting polymer poly (3-hexylthiophene) and the fullerene (6,6)-phenyl C-61 butyric acid methyl ester. By using periodic and quasiperiodic hole arrays as nanoengineered plasmonic concentrators milled in a silver film, a spectrally broad, omnidirectional, and polarization-insensitive absorption enhancement is observed over that of a reference layer deposited on a flat film. As the result of increased absorption, an enhancement in the polymer fluorescence intensity is also observed. This demonstrates the potential of plasmonic concentrators for improved energy harvesting in ultrathin film solar cells. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3567543]