Influence of electric field on interwell tunneling rate in quasi two dimensional organic quantum wells

The tunneling rate of photocreated charge carriers between layers in Langmu ir-Blodgett multilayer structures is measured indirectly using the novel te chnique of bimolecular recombination quenching. The tunneling rate is demon strated to be dependent upon the applied electrostatic potential difference between the layers. This dependence is explored in light of the Marcus the ory of charge transfer. That theory was developed to describe redox reactio ns where the driving force is supplied by a chemical potential difference b etween two chemically different parts of a more complex system. In the curr ent work the electrostatic potential replaces the chemical potential as the driving potential. The field dependence of the exciton dissociation probab ility is also determined. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-96 06(00)70941-X].