On-site, deterministic, and scalable growth of perovskite nanocrystals*

Effective integration of metal halide perovskite nanocrystals into optoelectronic devices requires new strategies for their controlled growth and precise positioning. To this end, several in-situ growth techniques through solution or vapor phase processing have been developed.  However, existing approaches do not accommodate deterministic growth of sub-50 nm crystals and lack nanoscale positioning control. Here, we present in-situ growth of sub-50 nm all-inorganic perovskite nanocrystals with < 100 nm positioning control. In our approach, arrays of uniformly-sized nanocrystals are synthesized via lithographically-patterned, surface-functionalized topographical templates, which allow for in-situ growth of crystals through asymmetric wetting of the precursor solution. With this technique, we can systematically control the size and surface encapsulation of the nanocrystals. We will present these capabilities and the corresponding structural and optical properties of the resulting particles. Overall, by enabling deterministic yet scalable growth of perovskite nanocrystals, our approach can facilitate integration of these materials into practical nanoscale optoelectronic devices and systems.