Mechanism for carrier velocity saturation in pure organic crystals

Abstract

We present a possible mechanism for the saturation of the velocity of photoinjected charge carriers in pure organic crystals, the analysis having been motivated by observations in pentacene. The mechanism is based on the strong wave vector dependence of the damping coefficient appearing in the appropriate effective mass equation. Our primary goal is to explore this mechanism in general terms rather than to apply it to a specific system such as pentacene. Our analysis is based on a Fokker-Planck equation treatment. We indicate how the damping coeffcient is related to relaxation times in usual Boltzmann equations and how it can be computed from Fermi golden rule transition rates.