Observation of spatially resolved Rashba states on the surface of CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystals

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) are prime candidates for studying Rashba effects due to the heavy metal and halogen atoms in their crystal structure coupled with predicted inversion symmetry breaking. Nevertheless, observation of the Rashba effect in cubic CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystals that possess bulk inversion symmetry is the subject of extensive debate due to the lack of conclusive experiments and theoretical explanations. Here, we provide experimental evidence that Rashba state in cubic CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystals at room temperature occurs exclusively on the crystal surface and depends on specific surface termination that results in local symmetry breaking. We demonstrate this using a suite of spatially resolved and depth-sensitive techniques, including circular photogalvanic effect, inverse spin Hall effect, and multiphoton microscopy, that are supported by first principle calculations. Our work suggests using surface Rashba states in these materials for spintronic applications.

Automated summary

Surface Rashba states exclusively occur in cubic CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystals and depend on specific surface termination, as evidenced by a suite of spatially resolved and depth-sensitive techniques. These findings support the potential use of surface Rashba states in these materials for spintronic applications.