Vapor Deposited Metal Halide Perovskites for Photovoltaics: Methods, Challenges and Prospects

Vapor-based deposition methods play an important role in the development and fabrication of metal halide perovskite (MHP) thin films through dry, solvent-free processes. Recent advances have demonstrated control over film composition, crystallinity, and optoelectronic properties, leading to high-performance devices produced by techniques such as coevaporation, sequential deposition, close-space sublimation, and laser-deposition methods. Despite these achievements, challenges persist, particularly regarding material utilization, deposition rate, and scalability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of vapor-phase strategies for MHP thin-film growth, covering coevaporation, sequential and single-source evaporation, close-space sublimation, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, and laser-based deposition. We analyze and compare how deposition parameters govern film nucleation and growth, and how these, in turn, influence optoelectronic performance. Key milestones that have enabled state-of-the-art perovskite solar cells are highlighted. Finally, we identify research opportunities and knowledge gaps across synthesis-structure-property relationships in vapor-deposited MHP and discuss major barriers to scalable implementation. By providing a unified perspective on vapor-phase perovskite processing, this review aims to guide and motivate the development of reliable, reproducible, and scalable relevant deposition methods for next-generation optoelectronic devices.