PHYSICAL MECHANISM OF THE PHOTOINDUCED DEGRADATION IN a-Si:H FILMS.

A new model for the formation of metastable Staebler-Wronski defects in a-Si:H has been proposed. The phonons of local Si-H vibrational mode released in the nonradiative recombination of photoexcited electrons and holes through weak Si-H bonds may break the Si-H bonds themselves and result in an increase in Si dangling bonds-SW defects. The model provides a reasonable qualitative explanation to all the important experimental results related to the phenomenon.EI01103-108