Hydrogen collision model: Quantitative description of metastability in amorphous silicon
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States)
The hydrogen collision model of light-induced metastability in hydrogenated amorphous silicon is described in detail. Recombination of photogenerated carriers excites mobile H from Si-H bonds, leaving threefold-coordinated Si dangling-bond defects. When two mobile H atoms collide and associate in a metastable two-H complex, the two dangling bonds from which H was emitted also become metastable. The proposed microscopic mechanism is consistent with electron-spin-resonance experiments. Comprehensive rate equations for the dangling-bond and mobile-H densities are presented; these equations include light-induced creation and annealing. Important regimes are solved analytically and numerically. The model provides explanations for both the t{sup 1/3} time dependence of the rise of defect density during continuous illumination and the t{sup 1/2} time-dependence during intense laser-pulse illumination. Other consequences and predictions of the H collision model are described. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
- OSTI ID:
- 321514
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter, Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 59; ISSN 0163-1829; ISSN PRBMDO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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