Unraveling radiation damage and healing mechanisms in halide perovskites using energy-tuned dual irradiation dosing

Perovskite photovoltaics have been shown to recover, or heal, after radiation damage. Here, we deconvolve the effects of radiation based on different energy loss mechanisms from incident protons which induce defects or can promote efficiency recovery. We design a dual dose experiment first exposing devices to low-energy protons efficient in creating atomic displacements. Devices are then irradiated with high-energy protons that interact differently. Correlated with modeling, high-energy protons (with increased ionizing energy loss component) effectively anneal the initial radiation damage, and recover the device efficiency, thus directly detailing the different interactions of irradiation. We relate these differences to the energy loss (ionization or non-ionization) using simulation. Dual dose experiments provide insight into understanding the radiation response of perovskite solar cells and highlight that radiation-matter interactions in soft lattice materials are distinct from conventional semiconductors. These results present electronic ionization as a unique handle to remedying defects and trap states in perovskites.