Optimal Interfacial Band Bending Achieved by Fine Energy Level Tuning in Mixed-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells
Mátyás Dabóczi, Sinclair R. Ratnasingham, Lokeshwari Mohan, Chenfeng Pu, Iain Hamilton, Yi‐Chun Chin, Martyn A. McLachlan, Ji‐Seon Kim
Abstract
Most highly efficient perovskite solar cells employ mixed iodide–bromide photoactive layers; however, understanding the beneficial effect of the low (5–15 mol %) bromide content is incomplete. Here, a series of MAPb(I1–xBrx)3 perovskite layers are investigated to understand the origin of the high peak power conversion efficiency (19.2%) observed at small bromide content (0.10 ≤ x ≤ 0.125). For the x = 0.125 perovskite, 200 meV shallower energy levels are revealed, accompanied by a reduced density of trap states and stable tetragonal mixed-halide phase with compressed unit cell. In contrast, the higher bromide content samples (x > 0.125) show deeper energy levels, cubic perovskite crystal structure, and signs of halide segregation. Surface photovoltage measurements unveil an undesirable band bending at the hole transport layer/perovskite interface for MAPbI3 and x > 0.125 mixed-halide layers, which is eliminated for the x = 0.125 perovskite because of its shallower Fermi level, enabling enhanced device performance.