Control of electronic properties of metal halide perovskites through vacuum co-deposition

金属卤化物钙钛矿太阳能电池已成为下一代光伏电池中有前途的半导体器件。这种光伏技术目前正接近商业化，因此开发可应用于工业规模的高通量薄膜沉积技术至关重要。真空沉积是实现这一目标的主要候选方法，但由于该领域缺乏研究重点，以及优化大量生长控制参数的挑战，迄今为止还缺乏基于解决方案的技术。EPSRC的PV-CDT学生将专注于通过真空共沉积来控制和优化多晶金属卤化物薄膜的生长方法，以应用于太阳能电池。特别是，将开发工艺来控制薄膜的形态（包括晶体尺寸和取向），并优化一系列卤化铅钙钛矿薄膜的电子性能。该项目将涉及了解真空沉积金属卤化物钙钛矿薄膜的形成，开发控制生长的设备和方法，并执行广泛的分析方法来表征薄膜（例如x射线衍射，光致发光光谱，电子显微镜，透射/反射光谱学）以及由薄膜制成的太阳能电池器件的特性（例如J-V和EQE测量）。来自器件和薄膜表征的反馈将是生长优化周期的组成部分。拟议的研究属于EPSRC物理科学、能源和制造业的未来主题；能源应用材料和太阳能技术领域，以及EPSRC的投资组合，目标是确定物理领域的重大挑战（功能材料的纳米级设计）。

Metal halide perovskite solar cells have emerged as promising semiconductor devices for next generation photovoltaics. This photovoltaic technology is currently approaching commercialisation and so it is critical to develop high-throughput thin-film deposition techniques that can be applied on an industrial scale. Vacuum deposition is a prime candidate to achieve this, however has to date lacked behind solution-based technologies, owing to a lack of research focus in this area, and the challenges of optimising a large collection of growth-control parameters. This EPSRC PV-CDT studentship will focus on methods to control and optimise the growth of polycrystalline metal halide films via vacuum co-deposition for application in solar cells. In particular, processes will be developed to control the morphology of the films (including crystal size and orientation) and optimise the electronic properties of a range of lead-halide perovskite films. The project will involve understanding the formation of vacuum-deposited metal halide perovskite films, developing apparatus and methods to control growth and performing a wide range of analytic methods to characterise the films (e.g. X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence spectroscopy, electron microscopy, transmission/reflection optical spectroscopy) and the properties of solar cell devices fabricated from the films (e.g. J-V and EQE measurements). Feedback from device and film characterisation will be integral to the growth optimisation cycle. The proposed research sits in the EPSRC Themes of Physical Sciences, Energy & Manufacturing the Future; and the Areas of Materials for Energy Applications, and Solar Technology and within the EPSRC's portfolio, targeting identified Grand Challenges in Physics (Nanoscale Design of Functional Materials).