skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: α-Particle Detection and Charge Transport Characteristics in the A3M2I9 Defect Perovskites (A = Cs, Rb; M = Bi, Sb)

Journal Article · · ACS Photonics

Here, we have investigated the defect perovskites A3M2I9 (A = Cs, Rb; M = Bi, Sb) as materials for radiation detection. The phase purity of Bridgman-grown A3M2I9 single crystals was confirmed via high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction, while density functional theory calculations (DFT) show surprisingly dispersive bands in the out-of-plane direction for these layered materials, with low effective masses for both holes and electrons. Accordingly, each of the four A3M2I9 defect perovskites showed response to 241Am α-particle irradiation for hole and electron electrode configurations, a remarkable ambipolar response that resembles the 3D halide perovskites. The electron response spectra were used to estimate the mobility–lifetime product (μτ)e for electrons in these materials, with Rb3Bi2I9 showing the lowest (μτ)e value of 1.7 × 106 cm2 V–1 and Cs3Bi2I9 the highest (μτ)e of 5.4 × 10–5 cm2 V–1. The rise time of the α-particle-generated pulse was used to estimate the electron mobility μe of the A3M2I9 defect perovskites, which ranged from 0.32 cm2 V–1s–1 for Rb3Sb2I9 to 4.3 cm2 V–1s–1 in Cs3Bi2I9. Similar analysis of the hole response spectra yielded (μτ)h values for each A3M2I9 compound, with Cs3Bi2I9 again showing the highest (μτ)h value of 1.8 × 10–5 cm2 V–1, while Rb3Bi2I9 showed the lowest (μτ)h with 2.0 × 10–6 cm2 V–1. Rise time analysis gave hole mobilities ranging from 1.7 cm2 V–1 s–1 for Cs3Bi2I9 to 0.14 cm2 V–1 s–1 for Cs3Sb2I9. Comparing the experimental electron and hole mobilities to the effective masses obtained from DFT calculations revealed sizable discrepancies, possibly indicating self-trapping of charge carriers due to electron–phonon interactions. The α-particle response of the A3M2I9 defect perovskites demonstrates their potential as semiconductor radiation detectors, with Cs3Bi2I9 and Cs3Sb2I9 showing the most promise.

Research Organization:
Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
NA0002522
OSTI ID:
1494818
Journal Information:
ACS Photonics, Vol. 5, Issue 9; ISSN 2330-4022
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 67 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (70)

Compound semiconductor radiation detectors
  • Owens, Alan; Peacock, A.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 531, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2004.05.071
journal September 2004
Radiation detector materials: An overview journal October 2008
Semiconductor materials and radiation detection journal February 2006
BiI3 single crystal for room-temperature gamma ray detectors
  • Saito, T.; Iwasaki, T.; Kurosawa, S.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 806 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2015.10.036
journal January 2016
Comparison of 5 and 10mm thick HgI2 pixelated γ-ray spectrometers journal June 2003
Growth of PbI 2 single crystal by the top seed vertical zone melting method: Growth of the PbI 2 single crystal by top seed vertical zone melting method journal September 2015
Characteristics of TlBr single crystals grown using the vertical Bridgman-Stockbarger method for semiconductor-based radiation detector applications journal June 2016
Polarization Phenomena in TlBr Detectors journal August 2009
Cadmium zinc telluride and its use as a nuclear radiation detector material journal April 2001
Point defects: Their influence on electron trapping, resistivity, and electron mobility-lifetime product in CdTe x Se 1−x detectors journal January 2016
CdZnTe and CdTe materials for X-ray and gamma ray radiation detector applications journal March 2004
Iodine based compound semiconductors for room temperature gamma-ray spectroscopy conference May 2008
Defect Antiperovskite Compounds Hg 3 Q 2 I 2 (Q = S, Se, and Te) for Room-Temperature Hard Radiation Detection journal May 2017
Improved Crystal Growth of Tl 6 SeI 4 for γ-Ray Detection Material by Oxide Impurity Removal journal October 2017
TlSn 2 I 5 , a Robust Halide Antiperovskite Semiconductor for γ-Ray Detection at Room Temperature journal June 2017
Performance of novel materials for radiation detection: Tl3AsSe3, TlGaSe2, and Tl4HgI6
  • Kahler, D.; Singh, N. B.; Knuteson, D. J.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 652, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2010.09.057
journal October 2011
Thallium lead iodide radiation detectors conference January 2003
Main-Group Halide Semiconductors Derived from Perovskite: Distinguishing Chemical, Structural, and Electronic Aspects journal September 2016
The Renaissance of Halide Perovskites and Their Evolution as Emerging Semiconductors journal September 2015
Organic–Inorganic Perovskites: Structural Versatility for Functional Materials Design journal March 2016
Excited state and charge-carrier dynamics in perovskite solar cell materials journal January 2016
Organometal Halide Perovskites as Visible-Light Sensitizers for Photovoltaic Cells journal May 2009
Efficient light-emitting diodes based on green perovskite nanocrystals with mixed-metal cations journal December 2016
High Detectivity and Rapid Response in Perovskite CsPbBr 3 Single-Crystal Photodetector journal February 2017
The emergence of perovskite solar cells journal July 2014
Low trap-state density and long carrier diffusion in organolead trihalide perovskite single crystals journal January 2015
High Defect Tolerance in Lead Halide Perovskite CsPbBr 3 journal January 2017
Self-Regulation Mechanism for Charged Point Defects in Hybrid Halide Perovskites journal December 2014
Crystal Growth of the Perovskite Semiconductor CsPbBr 3 : A New Material for High-Energy Radiation Detection journal June 2013
Solution-Grown CsPbBr 3 Perovskite Single Crystals for Photon Detection journal November 2016
Detection of gamma photons using solution-grown single crystals of hybrid lead halide perovskites journal July 2016
Dopant compensation in alloyed CH3NH3PbBr3−xClx perovskite single crystals for gamma-ray spectroscopy journal July 2017
High spectral resolution of gamma-rays at room temperature by perovskite CsPbBr3 single crystals journal April 2018
Hierarchies of perovskite-like crystals (Review) journal May 1997
Structural Variety of Defect Perovskite Variants M 3 E 2 X 9 ( M = Rb, Tl, E = Bi, Sb, X = Br, I) : Structural Variety of Defect Perovskite journal June 2016
Enhanced gamma ray sensitivity in bismuth triiodide sensors through volumetric defect control journal August 2016
Strong Electron–Phonon Coupling and Self-Trapped Excitons in the Defect Halide Perovskites A 3 M 2 I 9 (A = Cs, Rb; M = Bi, Sb) journal April 2017
Efficiency of ab-initio total energy calculations for metals and semiconductors using a plane-wave basis set journal July 1996
From ultrasoft pseudopotentials to the projector augmented-wave method journal January 1999
Cs 3 Sb 2 I 9 and Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 with the hexagonal Cs 3 Cr 2 Cl 9 structure type journal February 1978
Reconstructive Phase Transformation and Kinetics of Cs3Sb2I9by Means of Rietveld Analysis of X-Ray Diffraction and127I NQR journal December 1997
Restoring the Density-Gradient Expansion for Exchange in Solids and Surfaces journal April 2008
High-throughput electronic band structure calculations: Challenges and tools journal August 2010
The atomic simulation environment—a Python library for working with atoms journal June 2017
Python Materials Genomics (pymatgen): A robust, open-source python library for materials analysis journal February 2013
Dual Mode Kelvin Probe: Featuring Ambient Pressure Photoemission Spectroscopy and Contact Potential Difference journal January 2014
Crystallographic Computing System JANA2006: General features journal January 2014
K2(Rb2,Cs2,Tl2)TeBr6(I6) and Rb3(Cs3)Sb2(Bi2)Br9(I9) perovskite compounds journal February 2011
Physics of Semiconductor Devices book January 2007
Crystal and Electronic Structures of Complex Bismuth Iodides A 3 Bi 2 I 9 ( A = K, Rb, Cs) Related to Perovskite: Aiding the Rational Design of Photovoltaics journal October 2015
Bismuth Iodide Perovskite Materials for Solar Cell Applications: Electronic Structure, Optical Transitions, and Directional Charge Transport journal December 2016
Band structure diagram paths based on crystallography journal February 2017
Thin-Film Preparation and Characterization of Cs 3 Sb 2 I 9 : A Lead-Free Layered Perovskite Semiconductor journal August 2015
Vibronic Structure in Room Temperature Photoluminescence of the Halide Perovskite Cs 3 Bi 2 Br 9 journal September 2016
A Direct Bandgap Copper–Antimony Halide Perovskite journal June 2017
Rb as an Alternative Cation for Templating Inorganic Lead-Free Perovskites for Solution Processed Photovoltaics journal October 2016
Ruddlesden–Popper Hybrid Lead Iodide Perovskite 2D Homologous Semiconductors journal April 2016
Hybrid Dion–Jacobson 2D Lead Iodide Perovskites journal February 2018
Conducting Layered Organic-inorganic Halides Containing <110>-Oriented Perovskite Sheets journal March 1995
Polaron self-localization in white-light emitting hybrid perovskites journal January 2017
Orbital Ordering Transition in La4Ru2O10 journal September 2002
Semiconducting Tin and Lead Iodide Perovskites with Organic Cations: Phase Transitions, High Mobilities, and Near-Infrared Photoluminescent Properties journal July 2013
Electron-hole diffusion lengths > 175 μm in solution-grown CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 single crystals journal January 2015
Large polarons in lead halide perovskites journal August 2017
Inorganic Lead Halide Perovskite Single Crystals: Phase-Selective Low-Temperature Growth, Carrier Transport Properties, and Self-Powered Photodetection journal December 2016
Small polarons in real crystals: concepts and problems journal May 1993
The self-trapped exciton journal January 1990
Poor Photovoltaic Performance of Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 : An Insight through First-Principles Calculations journal August 2017
Density Functional Calculations of Native Defects in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 : Effects of Spin–Orbit Coupling and Self-Interaction Error journal April 2015
Excitonic emissions and above-band-gap luminescence in the single-crystal perovskite semiconductors CsPbB r 3 and CsPbC l 3 journal December 2015

Cited By (5)

Enhanced On–Off Ratio Photodetectors Based on Lead‐Free Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 Single Crystal Thin Films journal February 2020
Excitons and narrow bands determine the optical properties of cesium bismuth halides journal November 2019
Highly sensitive X-ray detector made of layered perovskite-like (NH4)3Bi2I9 single crystal with anisotropic response journal June 2019
Room temperature semiconductor detectors for nuclear security journal July 2019
Optical and electronic anisotropies in perovskitoid crystals of Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 studies of nuclear radiation detection journal January 2018