Halide Perovskite 3D Photonic Crystals for Distributed Feedback Lasers

Halide perovskites are under intense investigation for light harvesting applications in solar cells. Their outstanding optoelectronic properties such as long charge carrier diffusion lengths, high absorption coefficients, and defect tolerance also triggered interest in laser and LED applications. Here, we report on the lasing properties of 3D distributed feedback halide perovskite nanostructures prepared via an all-solution process. A colloidal crystal templating approach was developed to precisely control the hybrid halide perovskite structure on the nanoscale. The prepared CH3NH3PbBr3 thin films with inverse opal morphology show narrow lasing emissions with a full width half maximum as low as 0.15 nm and good long term stability under pulsed laser excitation above the lasing threshold of 1.6 mJ cm-2 in ambient atmosphere. Furthermore, lasing emission was also observed for CH3NH3PbI3 inverse opals under excitation with a focused laser beam. Unlike other protocols for the fabrication of distributed feedback perovskite lasers, control of the nanostructure of hybrid halide perovskites is achieved without the use of expensive and elaborate lithography techniques or high temperatures. Therefore, the presented protocol opens a route to the low cost fabrication of hybrid halide perovskite lasers.