Understanding Defect Physics to Stabilize Metal-halide Perovskite Semiconductors for Optoelectronic Applications
Annamaria Petrozza a
a CompuNet, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Genova, Italy
Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS)
Proceedings of nanoGe Fall Meeting19 (NFM19)
#PERInt19. Interplay of composition, structure and electronic properties in halide-perovskites
Berlin, Germany, 2019 November 3rd - 8th
Organizer: Pablo P. Boix
Invited Speaker, Annamaria Petrozza, presentation 277
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.nfm.2019.277
Publication date: 18th July 2019

Semiconducting metal-halide perovskites present various types of chemical interactions which give them a characteristic fluctuating structure sensitive to the operating conditions of the device, to which they adjust. This makes the control of structure-properties relationship, especially at interfaces where the device realizes its function, the crucial step in order to control devices operation. In particular, given their simple processability at relatively low temperature, one can expect an intrinsic level of structural/chemical disorder of the semiconductor which results in the formation of defects.

 

Here, first I will summarize our understanding of the nature of defects and their photo-chemistry, which leverages on the cooperative action of density functional theory investigations and accurate experimental design. Then, I will show the correlation between the nature of defects and the observed semiconductor instabilities. Instabilities are manifested as light-induced ion migration and segregation, eventually leading to material degradation under prolonged exposure to light. Understanding, controlling and eventually blocking such material instabilities are fundamental steps towards large scale exploitation of perovskite in optoelectronic devices. By combining photoluminescence measurements under controlled conditions with ab initio simulations we identify photo-instabilities related to competing light-induced formation and annihilation of trap states, disclosing their characteristic length and time scales and the factors responsible for both processes. We show that short range/short time defect annihilation can prevail over defect formation, happening on longer scales, when effectively blocking undercoordinated surface sites, which act as a defect reservoir. Finally, based on such knowledge, I will discuss different synthetic and passivation strategies which are able to stabilize the perovskite layer towards such photo-induced instabilities, leading to improved optoelectronic material quality and enhanced photo-stability in a working solar cell.

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