The secondary electron (SE) cutoff energy region spectra are recorded before (dark), during (light) and after laser exposure (dark) for P3HT, Si, and ITO. An SE cutoff energy shift is observed when the bare n-type doped Si substrate is exposed to 532 nm light. This is attributed to the presence of a thin native oxide layer (similar to 1.5 nm) on Si. No energy shift is detected on the Ar sputtered clean Si. Also, no shift was observed for ITO. When exposed to light, a net SE energy cutoff shift was measured for P3HT deposited on both Si and ITO substrates at room temperature. However, no significant valence band maximum (VBM) energy shifts were measured for P3HT that was spun cast on both substrates under dark and light illumination. Furthermore, light effect was investigated at three different temperatures; 25, 70, and 160 degrees C and it is found that for P3HT, the magnitude of the SE cutoff energy change is not only substrate dependent but also depends on temperature. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.