Terahertz Modulation and Ultrafast Characteristic of Two-Dimensional Lead Halide Perovskites (original) (raw)

Ultrafast zero-bias photocurrent and terahertz emission in hybrid perovskites

Communications Physics, 2018

Methylammonium lead iodide is a benchmark hybrid organic perovskite material used for low-cost printed solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of over 20%. Nevertheless, the nature of light-matter interaction in hybrid perovskites and the exact physical mechanism underlying device operation are currently debated. Here, we report room temperature, ultrafast photocurrent generation, and free-space terahertz emission from unbiased hybrid perovskites induced by femtosecond light pulses. The polarization dependence of the observed photoresponse is consistent with the bulk photovoltaic effect caused by a combination of injection and shift currents. Observation of this type of photocurrents sheds light on the low recombination and long carrier diffusion lengths arising from the indirect bandgap in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3. Naturally ballistic shift and injection photocurrents may enable third-generation perovskite solar cells with efficiency exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit. The demonstrated control over photocurrents with light polarization also opens new venues toward perovskite spintronics and tunable THz devices.

Ultrafast THz Probe of Photoinduced Polarons in Lead-Halide Perovskites

Physical Review Letters

We study the nature of photo-excited charge carriers in CsPbBr3 nanocrystal thin films by ultrafast optical pump-THz probe spectroscopy. We observe a deviation from a pure Drude dispersion of the THz dielectric response that is ascribed to the polaronic nature of carriers; a transient blueshift of observed phonon frequencies is indicative of the coupling between photogenerated charges and stretching-bending modes of the deformed inorganic sublattice, as confirmed by DFT calculations.

Ultrafast THz photophysics of solvent engineered triple-cation halide perovskites

Journal of Applied Physics, 2018

Solution processed thin film organic-inorganic perovskites are key to the large scale manufacturing of next generation wafer scale solar cell devices. The high efficiency of the hybrid perovskite solar cells is derived mainly from the large carrier mobility and the charge dynamics of films, which heavily depend on the type of solvent used for the material preparation. Here, we investigate the nature of conduction and charge carrier dynamics of mixed organic-inorganic cations [methylammonium (MA), formamidinium (FA), and cesium (Cs)] along with the mixed halides [iodine (I) and bromine (Br)] perovskite material [Cs 0.05 (MA 0.17 FA 0.83) 0.95 Pb(I 0.83 Br 0.17) 3 ] synthesized in different solvents using optical pump terahertz probe (OPTP) spectroscopy. Our findings reveal that carrier mobilities and diffusion lengths strongly depend on the type of solvent used for the preparation of the mixed cation perovskite film. The mixed cation perovskite film prepared using dimethylformamide/dimethylsulfoxide solvent shows greater mobility and diffusion length compared to γ-butyrolactone solvent. Our findings provide valuable insights to improve the charge carrier transport in mixed cation perovskites through solvent engineering.

Terahertz Emission from Hybrid Perovskites Driven by Ultrafast Charge Separation and Strong Electron-Phonon Coupling

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), 2018

Unusual photophysical properties of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have not only enabled exceptional performance in optoelectronic devices, but also led to debates on the nature of charge carriers in these materials. This study makes the first observation of intense terahertz (THz) emission from the hybrid perovskite methylammonium lead iodide (CH3 NH3 PbI3 ) following photoexcitation, enabling an ultrafast probe of charge separation, hot-carrier transport, and carrier-lattice coupling under 1-sun-equivalent illumination conditions. Using this approach, the initial charge separation/transport in the hybrid perovskites is shown to be driven by diffusion and not by surface fields or intrinsic ferroelectricity. Diffusivities of the hot and band-edge carriers along the surface normal direction are calculated by analyzing the emitted THz transients, with direct implications for hot-carrier device applications. Furthermore, photogenerated carriers are found to drive coherent teraher...

Colour selective control of terahertz radiation using two-dimensional hybrid organic inorganic lead-trihalide perovskites

Nature Communications

Controlling and modulating terahertz signals is of fundamental importance to allow systems level applications. We demonstrate an innovative approach for controlling the propagation properties of terahertz (THz) radiation, through use of both the excitation optical wavelength (colour) and intensity. We accomplish this using two-dimensional (2D) layered hybrid trihalide perovskites that are deposited onto silicon substrates. The absorption properties of these materials in the visible range can be tuned by changing the number of inorganic atomic layers in between the organic cation layers. Optical absorption in 2D perovskites occurs over a broad spectral range above the bandgap, resulting in free carrier generation, as well as over a narrow spectral range near the bandedge due to exciton formation. We find that only the latter contribution gives rise to photo-induced THz absorption. By patterning multiple 2D perovskites with different optical absorption properties onto a single device, we demonstrate both colour selective modulation and focusing of THz radiation. These findings open new directions for creating active THz devices.

Tailoring Interlayer Charge Transfer Dynamics in 2D Perovskites with Electroactive Spacer Molecules

arXiv (Cornell University), 2023

The family of hybrid organic-inorganic lead-halide perovskites are the subject of intense interest for optoelectronic applications, from light-emitting diodes to photovoltaics to X-ray detectors. Due to the inert nature of most organic molecules, the inorganic sublattice generally dominates the electronic structure and therefore optoelectronic properties of perovskites. Here, we use optically and electronically active carbazole-based Cz-Ci molecules, where Ci indicates an alkylammonium chain and i indicates the number of CH2 units in the chain, varying from 3−5, as cations in the 2D perovskite structure. By investigating the photophysics and charge transport characteristics of (Cz-Ci)2PbI4, we demonstrate a tunable electronic coupling between the inorganic lead-halide and organic layers. The strongest interlayer electronic coupling was found for (Cz-C3)2PbI4, where photothermal deflection spectroscopy results remarkably demonstrate an organic-inorganic charge transfer state. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy measurements demonstrate ultrafast hole transfer from the photoexcited lead-halide layer to the Cz-Ci molecules, the efficiency of which increases by varying the chain length from i=5 to i=3. The charge transfer results in long-lived carriers (10-100 ns) and quenched emission, in stark contrast with the fast (sub-ns) and efficient radiative decay of bound excitons in the more conventional 2D perovskite (PEA)2PbI4, in which phenylethylammonium (PEA) acts as an inert spacer. Electrical charge transport measurements further support enhanced interlayer coupling, showing increased out-of-plane carrier mobility from i=5 to i=3. This study paves the way for the rational design of 2D perovskites with combined inorganic-organic electronic properties through the wide range of functionalities available in the world of organics.

Exciton and Carrier Dynamics in Two-Dimensional Perovskites

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2020

Two-dimensional Ruddlesden−Popper hybrid lead halide perovskites have become a major topic in perovskite optoelectronics. Here, we aim to unravel the ultrafast dynamics governing the evolution of charge carriers and excitons in these materials. Using a combination of ultrabroadband time-resolved THz (TRTS) and fluorescence upconversion spectroscopies, we find that sequential carrier cooling and exciton formation best explain the observed dynamics, while exciton−exciton interactions play an important role in the form of Auger heating and biexciton formation. We show that the presence of a longer-lived population of carriers is due to the latter processes and not to a Mott transition. Therefore, excitons still dominate at laser excitation densities. We use kinetic modeling to compare the phenethylammonium and butylammonium organic cations while investigating the stability of the resulting films. In addition, we demonstrate the capability of using ultrabroadband TRTS to study excitons in large binding energy semiconductors through spectral analysis at room temperature.

Fabrication-Method-Dependent Excited State Dynamics in CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Films

Scientific reports, 2017

Understanding the excited-state dynamics in perovskite photovoltaics is necessary for progress in these materials, but changes in dynamics depending on the fabrication processes used for perovskite photoactive layers remain poorly characterised. Here we report a comparative study on femtosecond transient absorption (TA) in CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite films fabricated by various solution-processing methods. The grain sizes and the number of voids between grains on each film varied according to the film synthesis method. At the low excitation fluence of 0.37 μJ cm-2, fast signal drops in TA dyanmics within 1.5 ps were observed in all perovskite films, but the signal drop magnitudes differed becuase of the variations in charge migration to trap states and band gap renormalisation. For high excitation fluences, the buil-up time of the TA signal was increased by the activated hot-phonon bottleneck, while the signal decay rate was accelerated by fluence-dependent high-order charge recombination...