Light Induced Degradation of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ Thin Film

The stability of CH3NH3PbI3 was investigated by observing the damage on a co-evaporated film irradiated by a blue laser in ultrahigh vacuum. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate the irradiation effects on the surface. The core levels of perovskite were observed to shift toward higher binding energy (BE) during the irradiation, suggesting that surface became more n-type. Metallic Pb appeared after 120 minutes of irradiation, indicating that the film has started to decompose. The decomposition saturated after about 480 minutes of irradiation when the ratio of metallic Pb to total Pb was about 33%. Furthermore, the film was no longer continuous after irradiation because of the stress change after irradiation, as the substrate Au and oxygen were detected by XPS. SEM images also show a roughened surface after irradiation. The results strongly indicate that the perovskite is sensitive to the laser irradiation, and the decomposition is a self-limiting process.