Centimeter-scale 2D perovskite (PEA)2PbBr4 single crystal plates grown by a seeded solution method for photodetectors

Abstract

Large-sized single-crystal two-dimensional (2D) perovskites are highly desirable owing to their fundamental properties and intriguing ability to boost devices. Herein, 2-phenylethylammonium lead bromide [(PEA)₂PbBr₄] single crystals, which are a violet-light-emitting 2D perovskite material, with typical lateral sizes of about one centimeter were successfully grown using a seeded solution method. The single-crystal plates showed a well-defined shape (rectangle or hexagon), a natural thickness (300–500 μm) similar to that of conventional silicon and InP wafers, a large aspect ratio of ∼20, and a smooth surface (root mean square, ∼0.7 nm). We integrated these single crystal plates into an ultraviolet photodetector, achieving a low dark current of ∼10⁻¹³ A and an efficient photoresponse (on/off ratio, ∼10³). This experiment could easily be extended to grow freestanding 2D perovskite single crystals on a wafer scale for practical integrated optoelectronics.