An impedance spectroscopy investigation of nanocrystalline CsPbBr3 films

Thin films of CsPbBr3 were prepared by co-evaporation of CsBr and PbBr2 powders. Deposited materials are constituted by nanometer-sized crystals as evidenced by atomic force microscopy and X ray diffraction. Impedance spectroscopy measurements, aimed to study the dielectric relaxation processes and transport mechanisms at grain boundary and grain interior, reveal a complex response of the material both on the frequency and on the temperature variations. DC current voltage curves are ohmic for applied electric field strength up to 2 × 106 V/cm. The DC conductivity Arrhenius plot gives a value of the activation energy equal to 0.85 eV, smaller then that expected for an intrinsic semiconductor. On the other hand, impedance measurements on a wide frequency range and at different temperatures can be reduced to a single master curve addressing hopping transport mechanism and dielectric relaxation processes being active. Finally, a simple model based on multiple Voigt's elements has been used to fit the impedance spectroscopy data and to evaluate relevant material parameters.