Characterization of ion-assisted, coevaporated CH3NH3PbI3 thin films

Methylammonium Lead Iodide CH
₃
NH
₃
PbI
₃
is an organometal halide perovskite system that is used as an absorber in solar cells. Coevaporation of Methylammonium Iodide (CH
₃
NH
₃
I) and Lead Iodide (PbI
₂
) requires treatment of the resulting CH
₃
NH
₃
PbI
₃
thin film to catalyze the reaction between CH
₃
NH
₃
I and PbI
₂
and create a pure perovskite phase. Two methods are studied: post-deposition annealing and ion-assisted deposition. Both routes aid in forming a pure perovskite phase. Annealing leads to highly crystalline thin films, and ion beam irradiation leads to more amorphous films. The effects that such crystal structure has on the material's optical properties and morphology is explored.