Gate-controlled time-dependent photocurrent in biologically inspired optoelectronics

F. Michelini; K. Beltako; D. Cherepanov; V. Nadtochenko

doi:10.1117/12.2544188

2 March 2020 Gate-controlled time-dependent photocurrent in biologically inspired optoelectronics

F. Michelini, K. Beltako, D. Cherepanov, V. Nadtochenko

Proceedings Volume 11274, Physics and Simulation of Optoelectronic Devices XXVIII; 112740Y (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2544188
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2020, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

During the primary steps of photosynthesis, the light-harvesting complexes capture sunlight and transfer the associated energy to reaction centers where charge are separated. Surprisingly, optical spectroscopy has recently revealed manifestations of quantum coherence in the ultrafast dynamics of these natural nanosystems, that would be controlled by the interaction between excitations and the surrounding protein motion. Inspired by the architecture of a natural reaction center, we have designed a generic molecular nanodevice, and simulated the time-dependent photocurrent induced by a femtosecond laser pulse. In this analogue, a time-dependent external voltage is applied to the device in the picosecond timescale via a gate, in order to mimic the effects of protein vibrations. The voltage characteristics are the parameters of this study. The numerical investigation we propose aims at unraveling the conditions in which this external control may increase the photocurrent inside the nanodevice. To this aim, we have developed a combined theoretical/numerical framework to describe and understand the quantum transport of energy and charges, from the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism. Our findings show that such an external control may be beneficial for the integrated (dc) current owing through the interface. Indeed, this external control enables to prevent the back tunneling oscillations of the timedependent photocurrent, which globally enhances the dc current. This exploratory work paves the way towards smart biologically-inspired optoelectronics.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

F. Michelini, K. Beltako, D. Cherepanov, and V. Nadtochenko "Gate-controlled time-dependent photocurrent in biologically inspired optoelectronics", Proc. SPIE 11274, Physics and Simulation of Optoelectronic Devices XXVIII, 112740Y (2 March 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2544188

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