Halide Perovskite Single Crystals: Design, Growth, and Characterization

Abstract

Halide perovskites have recently emerged as the state-of-the-art semiconductors with the unique combination of outstanding optoelectronic properties and facile solution synthesis. Within only a decade of research, they have witnessed a remarkable success in photovoltaics and shown great potential for applications in light-emitting devices, photodetectors, and high-energy sensors. Yet, the majority of current perovskite-based devices still rely on polycrystalline thin films which, as will be discussed in Chapter 2, exhibit inferior charge transport characteristics and increased tendency to chemical degradation compared to their single-crystalline analogues. In this regard, unburdened from the effects of grain boundaries, single crystals demonstrate the upper limits of semiconductor performance. Their study is, thus, important from both fundamental and practical aspects, which present the major objectives of this dissertation. In Chapter 3, we study the intrinsic charge transport and recombination characteristics of single crystals of formamidinium lead halide perovskites. While, in Chapter 4, we investigate the mechanistic origins of rapid synthesis of halide perovskite single crystals by inverse temperature crystallization. Understanding the nucleation and growth mechanisms of halide perovskites enables us to design strategies toward integrating their single crystals into device applications. Namely, in Chapters 5 and 6, we demonstrate crystal engineering approaches for tailoring the thicknesses and facets of halide perovskite single crystals to make them suitable for, respectively, vertical and planar architecture optoelectronic devices. The findings of this dissertation are expected to benefit future studies on fundamental characterization of halide perovskites, as well as motivate researchers to develop perovskite-based optoelectronic devices with better crystallinity, performance and stability.