Photoelectric properties of printed thin films of silicon nanocrystals dispersed in polymer binder

Abstract Photoelectric properties of thin films of Si nanocrystals (nc-Si) dispersed in an electrically inactive polymer (polyester) binder prepared by printing have been studied by means of dark current–voltage (I–V) and steady-state photoconductivity (SSPC) measurements. The I–V characteristics exhibit a varistor-like behavior. Space-charge-limited current (SCLC) theory for exponential localized-state distributions can be successfully applied to the interpretation of such a behavior. In the SCLC regime, a mobility of 4 cm 2 /V s in 30 wt% nc-Si dispersed polyester thin films is found, and the characteristic temperatures of the exponentially distributed localized states increase with increasing nc-Si concentration, which is consistent with the results obtained from the light intensity dependence of SSPC of the same materials. The results of the photoelectric measurements for printed thin films of nc-Si dispersed in an electrically active polymer binder (polymethylphenylsilane) are also shown.