Thin films of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPI) deposited using aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD)

Abstract

Formamidinium lead iodide (CH(NH2)2PbI3, FAPI) thin films have been deposited on glass substrates at 150 °C using ambient pressure aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD). The films have been analysed by a range of techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and UV–Vis–NIR absorption spectroscopy. Sharp reflections in the pXRD pattern can be indexed to the α-phase of FAPI which confirms the crystallinity of the as-deposited film and reveals a preferred growth orientation along the (002) plane with respect to the substrate. High magnification SEM images show that the thin film is comprised of a network of intimately connected FAPI crystallites which form a mesoporous architecture. EDX mapping of lead and iodine emission peaks show that the Pb and I within these films are spatially co-localised. Optical measurements show as-deposited FAPI films have absorption onsets in the near infra-red with a direct bandgap value of 1.46 eV, suitable for single junction solar cells. Four-point probe measurement of as deposited films show that the electrical conductivity (σ) of the FAPI thin film is 5.2 × 10–7 S/cm, which is similar to FAPI thin films deposited by spin coating technique.