We report a photoelectron spectroscopy study on the electronic structure of CH3NH3PbI3-xClx thin films fabricated by physical evaporation from CH3NH3I and PbCl2 precursors, including (1) simultaneously evaporation and (2) sequential evaporation. The results are compared with CH3NH3PbI3-xClx made using conventional solution chemistry (i.e., spin-coating). Depending on the fabrication method, CH3NH3PbI3-xClx films show different chemical constituents in the near-surface region, leading to disparities in their energetic levels. The chemical identities of the surface species are revealed by an in situ study on the sequentially evaporated film. Moreover, air-exposure treatment also greatly alters the energetic levels of the film. Using hole transport layer of N,N'-di(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenylbenzidine (NPB) as a model system, we find that the energy-level alignment with the spin-coated film after air exposure is most suitable for efficient hole transport.
Keywords: air exposure; electronic structure; formation mechanism; hole transport; perovskite; photoelectron spectroscopy.