Epitaxial Stabilization of Tetragonal Cesium Tin Iodide

A full range of optoelectronic devices has been demonstrated incorporating hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskites including high-performance photovoltaics, light emitting diodes, and lasers. Tin-based inorganic halide perovskites, such as CsSnX₃ (X = Cl, Br, I), have been studied as promising candidates that avoid toxic lead halide compositions. One of the main obstacles for improving the properties of all-inorganic perovskites and transitioning their use to high-end electronic applications is obtaining crystalline thin films with minimal crystal defects, despite their reputation for defect tolerance in photovoltaic applications. In this study, the single-domain epitaxial growth of cesium tin iodide (CsSnI₃) on closely lattice matched single-crystal potassium chloride (KCl) substrates is demonstrated. Using in situ real-time diffraction techniques, we find a new epitaxially-stabilized tetragonal phase at room temperature that expands the possibility for controlling electronic properties. We also exploit controllable epitaxy to grow multilayer two-dimensional quantum wells and demonstrate epitaxial films in a lateral photodetector architecture. This work provides insight into the phase control during halide perovskite epitaxy and expands the selection of epitaxially accessible materials from this exciting class of compounds.