Hybrid Perovskites: A New Class of Compound Semiconductors with Unique Properties

Organometallic hybrid perovskites have recently attracted enormous attention for photovoltaic, light emitting and other applications. Combining the advantages of both organic and inorganic materials, hybrid perovskites possess a wide range of extraordinary properties, such as tunable band gap, long carrier diffusion length, and ambipolar charge transport. Here, we will discuss first the physics of this interesting class of highly processable materials such as phase transitions and dielectric properties. Various solution and vapor based synthesis routes have been introduced to produce perovskite thin films and nanostructures. Regarding device applications, we will discuss the performance of perovskite solar cells using nano oxides such as SrTiO₃, Zn₂SnO₄, and Cu2O as charge transporting materials. These versatile hybrid materials also found application in electronic devices. In the last part, we will discuss the applications of light sensitive perovskites in ambipolar phototransistors and nonvolatile resistive switching memories.