Transient photovoltage and photocurrent responses of organic solar cells provide valuable information regarding device performance and charge-carrier dynamics. However, the techniques used for analyzing these data have only been shown to be valid in a limited set of circumstances. Here we make use of a quasi-three-dimensional model to simulate these measurements in order to quantitatively evaluate the validity of the parameters extracted. With the experimentalist in mind, we produce a set of criteria that can be easily tested and demonstrate a good degree of generality for different sample parameters. This approach allows us to explore the use of “large perturbation” conditions in order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and speed of the measurement. We propose the introduction of an “effective fixed capacitance,” which is shown to significantly reduce the uncertainty associated with the deviation from the small-perturbation regime.

• Received 21 August 2017
• Revised 27 March 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.10.024038

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