Publication date: 21st July 2025
Understanding ionic dynamics in halide perovskites is critical for improving the performance and stability of devices, including solar cells, X-ray detectors, and memristors [1-3]. Conventional frequency-domain optoelectrical techniques often suffer from contact-related effects and interfacial recombination, which can obscure the signatures of ionic dynamics [4-6]. Optical approaches such as time-resolved photoluminescence can avoid these limitations, but are rarely used to study ionic responses due to the difficulty of separating overlapping contributions with similar timescales in the time domain [7].
In this talk, we present intensity-modulated photoluminescence spectroscopy (IMPLS) as a fully optical method to probe dynamic behavior across a broad range of timescales. By analyzing the phase and amplitude of the PL response as a function of the modulated excitation frequency, IMPLS enables the identification of distinct mechanisms based on their characteristic times. We demonstrate its use on halide perovskite films and compare the results to standard optoelectronic techniques [8]. This approach provides new insights into slow processes such as ion migration and defect dynamics, and opens possibilities for broader material and device characterization.
The work was performed at the NWO institute AMOLF. A.O.A and B.E. received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 947221). E.C.G. received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 101043783). The work is part of the Dutch Research Council (NWO) in collaboration between AMOLF and TNO. This work is partly funded through governmental funding of TNO financed by the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth and Ministry of Economic Affairs.