Optical Properties and Growth of the (100) Crystal-Faced MAPbBr3 Film on TiN-Buffered MgO Substrate

The growth of MAPbBr₃ crystal-faced films is a critical challenge for advancing optoelectronic devices. This study presents a methodology for fabricating a (100) crystal-faced MAPbBr₃ film on a lattice-matched MgO/TiN composite substrate using a localized thermally driven inverse temperature crystallization technique. The metallic TiN buffer layer offers a 0.66% lattice mismatch to MAPbBr₃, minimizing interfacial strain. Furthermore, the orientation enhancement of the film induced by post-annealing was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, with the (200) peak FWHM decreasing from 0.042° to 0.028° and the intensity ratio of the (100) to (110) peaks increasing from 6.89 to 19.00. These structural improvements directly translate into enhanced optical performance. The annealed sample exhibited sharper Raman phonon modes at 49 cm^-1 and 151 cm^-1, a 1.8-fold photoluminescence intensity enhancement, and a 20.8% narrowing of the PL FWHM at 536 nm. Additionally, UV-Vis spectroscopy confirms the bandgap of MAPbBr₃, displaying a steeper absorption edge with a bandgap of 2.30 eV. These metrics provide compelling evidence of suppressed non-radiative recombination and improved optical homogeneity after annealing. By integrating TiN as an electron-transport and buffer layer to reduce strain and lattice mismatch, the MgO/TiN/MAPbBr₃ architecture offers a scalable, scientifically grounded pathway to improve MAPbBr₃'s optical performance.