Organic Photocurrent Multiplication

This book opens the eyes of readers to the clear relationship between the molecular-sized structures and the macroscopic functions of organic devices. The discovery of novel phenomena and the mechanism of multiplied photocurrent generation in organic semiconductors, which can be applicable to amplification-type photosensors, are concisely summarized. The motivation for writing this book is to let readers know how the novel phenomena were discovered and how the novel concepts were created. The main features here include the discovery of photocurrent multiplication, the tunneling mechanism, the structural trap model, novel phenomena related to photocurrent multiplication, avalanche multiplication, and ideas for the future. This book is of interest to new and experienced scientists as well as graduate students. The author strongly hopes that the young scientists of the next generation will be enthusiastically inspired by this book and will develop the field of organic semiconductors even further.

Masahiro Hiramoto received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Osaka University in 1986 and began his research on organic semiconductors in 1988 in the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, joining the Institute for Molecular Science in 2008 as a full professor. He has published over 150 papers, with research interests that include the photoelectric properties of organic semiconductors and their application to organic solar cells and organic devices. He is an inventor of the blended junction and tandem junction for organic solar cells. He is a discoverer of the photocurrent multiplication phenomenon in organic semiconductors, winning the Fellow Award from the Japan Society of Applied Physics in 2017.