Exciton

About: Exciton is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 31603 publications have been published within this topic receiving 810642 citations.

Optical Properties and Electronic Structure of Amorphous Germanium

Abstract: The optical constants of amorphous Ge are determined for the photon energies from 0.08 to 1.6 eV. From 0.08 to 0.5 eV, the absorption is due to k-conserving transitions of holes between the valence bands as in p-type crystals; the spin-orbit splitting is found to be 0.20 and 0.21 eV in non-annealed, and annealed samples respectively. The effective masses of the holes in the three bands are 0.49 m (respectively 0.43 m); 0.04 m, and 0.08 m. An absorption band is observed below the main absorption edge (at 300 °K the maximum of this band is at 0.86 eV); the absorption in this band increases with increasing temperature. This band is considered to be due to excitons bound to neutral acceptors, and these are presumably the same ones that play a decisive role in the transport properties and which are considered to be associated with vacancies. The absorption edge has the form: ω2ϵ2∼(hω−Eg)2 (Eg = 0.88 eV at 300 °K). This suggests that the optical transitions conserve energy but not k vector, and that the densities of states near the band extrema have the same energy-dependence as in crystalline Ge. A simple theory describing this situation is proposed, and comparison of it with the experimental results leads to an estimate of the localization of the conduction-band wavefunctions.

Long-Range Balanced Electron- and Hole-Transport Lengths in Organic-Inorganic CH3NH3PbI3

Abstract: Low-temperature solution-processed photovoltaics suffer from low efficiencies because of poor exciton or electron-hole diffusion lengths (typically about 10 nanometers). Recent reports of highly efficient CH3NH3PbI3-based solar cells in a broad range of configurations raise a compelling case for understanding the fundamental photophysical mechanisms in these materials. By applying femtosecond transient optical spectroscopy to bilayers that interface this perovskite with either selective-electron or selective-hole extraction materials, we have uncovered concrete evidence of balanced long-range electron-hole diffusion lengths of at least 100 nanometers in solution-processed CH3NH3PbI3. The high photoconversion efficiencies of these systems stem from the comparable optical absorption length and charge-carrier diffusion lengths, transcending the traditional constraints of solution-processed semiconductors.

Electron–electron and electron‐hole interactions in small semiconductor crystallites: The size dependence of the lowest excited electronic state

Abstract: We model, in an elementary way, the excited electronic states of semiconductor crystallites sufficiently small (∼50 A diam) that the electronic properties differ from those of bulk materials. In this limit the excited states and ionization processes assume a molecular‐like character. However, diffraction of bonding electrons by the periodic lattice potential remains of paramount importance in the crystallite electronic structure. Schrodinger’s equation is solved at the same level of approximation as used in the analysis of bulk crystalline electron‐hole states (Wannier excitons). Kinetic energy is treated by the effective mass approximation, and the potential energy is due to high frequency dielectric solvation by atomic core electrons. An approximate formula is given for the lowest excited electronic state energy. This expression is dependent upon bulk electronic properties, and contains no adjustable parameters. The optical f number for absorption and emission is also considered. The same model is applied to the problem of two conduction band electrons in a small crystallite, in order to understand how the redox potential of excess electrons depends upon crystallite size.

The exciton model in molecular spectroscopy

Abstract: The molecular exciton model has received its most extensive development and application in the field of molecular crystals1'2. More recently, numerous applications to non-crystalline molecular composite systems have been made, including van der Waals and hydrogen-bonded dimers, trimers, and higher order aggregates. Another type of composite system has also been investigated, namely the composite molecule consisting of covalently bonded molecular units, with intrinsic individual unsaturated electronic systems so isolated by single bonds that but little or insignificant electronic overlap between units may occur. It is now well established that in molecular aggregates and in composite molecules, exciton effects may be observed if sufficiently strong electronic transitions exist in the component sub-units. The result of exciton splitting of excited states in the composite molecule may be the appearance of strong spectral shifts or splittings (which may be of the order of 2000 cm—1) of the absorption bands for the component molecules. At the same time, as a consequence of the exciton splitting of the excited state manifold, an enhancement of triplet state excitation may result. The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of the various type cases for molecular dimers, trimers and double and triple molecules in the description of the molecular exciton strong-coupling model. Then it will be shown by new experimental examples that, even in those cases where no significant exciton effect is observable in the singlet—singlet absorption spectrum for the composite molecule (intermediate and weak coupling cases), the enhancement of lowest triplet state excitation may still be conspicuous and significant. The ideas which are summarized in this paper have a curious history. Long ago, Kautsky and Merkel3 demonstrated experimentally that aggregation of dyes facilitated their action as photophysical sensitizers in photochemical reactions, at the same time diminishing their fluorescence efficiency. Kautsky attributed these easily demonstrated effects to enhancement of metastable state excitation in the aggregate dye. There is no doubt today that the metastable state he described is the lowest triplet state of the molecules studied. However, he did not distinguish between intrinsic and enhanced metastable (triplet) state excitation, so his interpretations were largely overlooked. Forster in l946 used the quasi-classical vector model to