Origin of light-induced donors and a model for photodegradation in a-Si:H and a-Si, Ge:H

Conference · Thu Jun 25 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5354793

McMahon, T J; Xi, J P

A model is developed from temperature-dependent carrier recombination kinetics for the photodegradation of a-Si:H and a-Si, Ge:H, in which highly strained microscopic regions are the source of the metastable Staebler-Wronski defect. Of the most highly stressed bonds in such regions, possibly only one breaks, creating two dangling bonds and annihilating the safe-trapping characteristic of the entire region within a 15-A radius. Breaking of a strained Si-Si bond in a strained region as opposed to breaking an isolated strained bond has the advantages of (1) reducing the energy required for creating the dangling bonds, (2) allowing for bond separation through a collective relaxation, and (3) explaining the range of activation energies for annealing. With the concept of highly strained regions of safe hole-traps in mind, the hole-trapping mechanism is discussed as a step in the defect-generation mechanism.

• Research Organization: Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, CO 80401
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 5354793
• Report Number(s): CONF-870116-
• Journal Information: AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States), Vol. 157:1; Conference: International conference on stability of amorphous silicon alloy materials and devices, Palo Alto, CA, USA, 28 Jan 1987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
GERMANIUM
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
SILICON
ACTIVATION ENERGY
AMORPHOUS STATE
ANNEALING
CHEMICAL BONDS
HOLES
HYDROGENATION
PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY
RECOMBINATION
SYMMETRY BREAKING
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TRAPPING
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY
HEAT TREATMENTS
METALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATION EFFECTS
SEMIMETALS
360605* - Materials- Radiation Effects