Intrinsic femtosecond charge generation dynamics in a single crystal organometal halide perovskite

Hybrid metal-organic perovskite solar cells have astounded the solar cell community with their rapid rise in efficiency over the past three years. Despite this success, the basic processes governing the photogeneration of free charges, particularly their dynamics and efficiency, remain unknown. Here we use ultrabroadband pulses of THz frequency light to see the intrinsic photophysical properties of single crystal lead halide perovskite just femtoseconds after a photon is first absorbed. Our spectra reveal the dynamics and efficiencies of free charge creation, the remarkable ease in which they move through the lattice and the complicated interplay between free and bound charges in these materials.