Proceedings of Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (IPEROP20)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.iperop.2020.020
Publication date: 14th October 2019
The success of perovskite photovoltaics is underpinned by their impressive optoelectronic properties, notably their combination of high charge-carrier mobilities with low rates of charge-carrier recombination[1]. Sub-bandgap trap states in hybrid lead halide perovskites can act as nonradiative recombination centres, leading to shorter charge-carrier lifetimes and limiting the open-circuit voltage (Voc) in perovskite solar cells[2]. It is therefore essential to understand the nature and energy scale of these trap states for the development and optimization of technology based on these materials.
In this study[3] we investigated the influence of sub-bandgap trap states on charge-carrier recombination through an analysis of the low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) of FAPbI3, a perovskite material used in some of the most efficient and stable perovskite solar cells [4]. We observed a power-law time dependence in the emission intensity and an additional low-energy emission peak that exhibits an anomalous relative Stokes shift. Using a rate-equation model and a Monte Carlo simulation, we revealed that both phenomena arise from an exponential trap-density tail with characteristic energy scale of ≈3 meV. Since charge-carrier recombination from sites deep within the tail causes emission with energy downshifted by up to several tens of meV, such phenomena may in part be responsible for Voc losses commonly observed in these materials. We propose that the origin of the band-tail states in FAPbI3 may lie in the rotational freedom of the polar organic cation. These results underline the suitability of viewing hybrid perovskites as classic semiconductors, whose electronic bandstructure picture is moderated by a modest degree of energetic disorder.