The effects of inorganic surface treatments on photogenerated carrier mobility and lifetime in PbSe quantum dot thin films

• Na2Se and PbCl2 treatments modified the surface chemistry of PbSe quantum dots.
• Excess Se (Pb) p-doped (n-doped) PbSe quantum dot thin films.
• Carrier mobility and lifetime were studied using time-resolved microwave conductivity.
• Mobility increased as the Fermi level approached the band edges.

We used flash-photolysis, time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) to probe the carrier mobility and lifetime in PbSe quantum dot (QD) thin films treated with solutions of the metal salts of Na2Se and PbCl2. The metal salt treatments tuned the Pb:Se stoichiometry and swept the Fermi energy throughout the QD thin film bandgap. A stoichiometric imbalance favoring excess Se heavily p-doped the QD thin film, shifted the Fermi energy toward the valence band, and yielded the highest TRMC mobility and lifetime. Introducing Pb first compensated the p-doping and shifted the Fermi level through mid-gap, decreasing the TRMC mobility. Further Pb addition created an excess of Pb, n-doped the QD thin film, moved the Fermi level to near the conduction band, and again increased the TRMC mobility. The increase in TRMC mobility as the Fermi energy was shifted toward the band edges by non-stoichiometry is consistent with the QD thin film density of states.

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