Phase-transition–induced p-n junction in single halide perovskite nanowire

Journal Article · 20 August 2018 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1806515115 · OSTI ID:1465256

Kong, Qiao ^[1]; Lee, Woochul ^[2]; Lai, Minliang ^[1]; Bischak, Connor G. ^[1]; Gao, Guoping ^[3]; Wong, Andrew B. ^[4]; Lei, Teng ^[1]; Yu, Yi ^[5]; Wang, Lin -Wang ^[3]; Ginsberg, Naomi S. ^[6]; Yang, Peidong ^[6]

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1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
2. Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI (United States)
3. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
4. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
5. ShanghaiTech Univ., Shanghai (China)
6. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute, Berkeley, CA (United States)

Semiconductor p-n junctions are fundamental building blocks for modern optical and electronic devices. The p- and n-type regions are typically created by chemical doping process. Here we show that in the new class of halide perovskite semiconductors, the p-n junctions can be readily induced through a localized thermal-driven phase transition. We demonstrate this p-n junction formation in a single-crystalline halide perovskite CsSnI₃ nanowire (NW). This material undergoes a phase transition from a double-chain yellow (Y) phase to an orthorhombic black (B) phase. The formation energies of the cation and anion vacancies in these two phases are significantly different, which leads to n- and p- type electrical characteristics for Y and B phases, respectively. Interface formation between these two phases and directional interface propagation within a single NW are directly observed under cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy. Current rectification is demonstrated for the p-n junction formed with this localized thermal-driven phase transition.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1465256
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1530375
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 115, Issue 36; ISSN 0027-8424
• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English