Index-matched IWKB method for the measurement of spatially varying refractive index profiles within thin-film photovoltaics.

In many thin-film photovoltaic devices, the photoactive layer has a spatially varying refractive index in the substrate-normal direction, but measurement of this variation with high spatial resolution is difficult due to the thinness of these layers (typically 200 nm for organic photovoltaics). We demonstrate a new method for reconstructing the depth-dependent refractive-index profile with high spatial resolution (similar to 10 nm at a wavelength of 500 nm) in thin (200 nm) photoactive layers by depositing a relatively thick index-matched layer (1-10 mu m) adjacent to the photoactive layer and applying the Inverse Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (IWKB) method. This novel technique, which we refer to as index-matched IWKB (IMIWKB), is applicable to any thin film, including the photoactive layers of a broad range of thin-film photovoltaics. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America