Halide perovskites: Is it all about the interfaces?

Abstract: Design and modification of the interfaces, always a critical issue for semiconductor devices, has become the primary tool to harness the full potential of halide perovskite (HaP)-based ones. In particular the outstanding improvements in HaP solar cell performance and stability can be primarily ascribed to a careful choice of the interfacial layout in the layer stack. In this review we describe the unique challenges and opportunities of these approaches (section A). For this purpose, we first elucidate the basic physical and chemical properties of the exposed HaP thin film and crystal surface (section B). We then lay out the energetic alignment processes to adjacent transport and buffer layers (section C) and finally elaborate on the impact of the interface formation on how well/poor a device functions. Based on those sections we then present a road map for the next steps in interfacial design principles for HaP semiconductors (section D).