Impact of Low-Temperature Seed-Assisted Growth on the Structural and Optoelectronic Properties of MAPbBr₃ Single Crystals

This work presents a detailed investigation of seed andnucleation-assistedgrowth methods for the inverse temperature crystallization (ITC) ofmethyl-ammonium lead bromide single crystals. We have demonstratedthat low-temperature seed-assisted growth results in significantimprovements in both optical and electrical responses of the materialcompared to the nucleation-assisted growth. Specifically, the spacecharge limited current method reveals a reduced trap-filled limitvoltage of 0.287 V for the seed-assisted crystal compared to 0.923V for the nucleation-assisted one, resulting in differences in trapdensity values. Temperature dependence space charge limited currentanalysis confirms these results, showing trap densities of 9.47 x10(9) cm(-3) for seeded crystal growth comparedto 3.21 x 10(10) cm(-3) for the nucleation-assistedgrowth, as well as a lower trap energy level for the seeded crystal.The study also highlights that the low-temperature seed-assisted growthhas a positive impact on the optical and crystalline properties ofthe material with improved photoluminescence response and a lowerlattice strain determined by X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the studydemonstrates that this improved crystallization method has a significantinfluence on the photodetector properties of the crystal, leadingto higher detectivity and responsivity values for the seed-assistedapproach.