Light Induced Degradation of CH_3NH_3PbI_3 Thin Film

TL;DR

This study investigates the degradation process of CH3NH3PbI3 thin films under blue laser irradiation, revealing surface changes, decomposition into metallic lead, and loss of film continuity, highlighting the material's sensitivity to light.

Contribution

It provides detailed insights into the degradation mechanism of CH3NH3PbI3 under laser irradiation using XPS and SEM, which was not previously characterized.

Findings

Decomposition saturated after 480 minutes of irradiation.

Metallic Pb appeared after 120 minutes, indicating decomposition.

Surface became more n-type and roughened after irradiation.

Abstract

The stability of CH3NH3PbI3 was investigated by observing the damage on a co-evaporated film irradiated by a blue laser in ultrahigh vacuum. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate the irradiation effects on the surface. The core levels of perovskite were observed to shift toward higher binding energy (BE) during the irradiation, suggesting that surface became more n-type. Metallic Pb appeared after 120 minutes of irradiation, indicating that the film has started to decompose. The decomposition saturated after about 480 minutes of irradiation when the ratio of metallic Pb to total Pb was about 33%. Furthermore, the film was no longer continuous after irradiation because of the stress change after irradiation, as the substrate Au and oxygen were detected by XPS. SEM images also show a roughened surface after irradiation. The results strongly indicate that the perovskite is sensitive to the laser irradiation, and the decomposition is a self-limiting process.