Evolution of D0 and non-D0 Light Induced Defect States in a-Si:H Materials and Their Respective Contribution to Carrier Recombination

2004 ◽  
Vol 808 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Pearce ◽  
J. Deng ◽  
V. Vlahos ◽  
R. W. Collins ◽  
C. R. Wronski ◽  
...  

A study has been carried out on the evolution of light induced defects in protocrystalline (diluted) a-Si:H films under 1 sun illumination. A room temperature reversal is observed in the photocurrents at 25°C, which is consistent with the relaxation in the recombination currents on corresponding p-i-n solar cells. It is also consistent with the pressure of “fast” states such as have been observed after high intensity illumination. Even with the limitations imposed by the relaxation in the light induced changes on the subgap absorption measurements, the evolution of distinctly different gap states centered around 0.9 and 1.15eV from the conduction band was identified. The kinetics of the electron occupied states, kN(E), at these two energies is compared with that of the neutral dangling bond (D0) densities as measured with electron spin resonance. Because of the similarity between the preliminary results of these kinetics it has not been possible to identify which states correspond to the D0 nor to draw any reliable conclusions about the nature of the different states.

1993 ◽  
Vol 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. M. Saleh ◽  
H. Tarui ◽  
S. Tsuda ◽  
S. Nakano ◽  
Y. Kuwano

Our previous results of light-induced electron spin resonance (LESR) indicate that, in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), light-induced defects differ from those formed during deposition or high-temperature annealing. A plausible interpretation, in which light-induced defects occupy higher-energy states, was proposed to explain these differences. In this study, the constant photocurrent method (CPM), dark conductivity and steady-state (SS) LESR are used to supply new evidence for the difference and conduct two important tests on our hypothesis. In striking agreement with our predictions, we find that the light-induced changes in the SS-LESR lineshape (a decrease in the narrow component relative to the broad one upon light exposure) become indeed more dramatic as the demarcation energies move closer to the midgap by increasing temperature or decreasing bias-light intensity for SS-LESR.


2001 ◽  
Vol 664 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Pearce ◽  
X. Niu ◽  
R. Koval ◽  
G. Ganguly ◽  
D. Carlson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTLight induced changes to 1 sun degraded steady state (DSS) have been investigated on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) p-i-n solar cells and corresponding films fabricated with and without hydrogen dilution of silane. Striking similarities are found for the degradation kinetics, between the electron mobility lifetime (μτ) products and the corresponding fill factors (FF). These correlations that exist for both intrinsic materials at temperatures between 25 and 100°C, are present for the DSS as well as in the kinetics, which exihibit distinctly different dependence on temperature. No such correlations are present between μτ, FF and densities of D0 defects, measured with subgap absorption α(E) at 1.2eV, and electron spin resonance (ESR). The creation of non-D0 defects is also clearly indicated by the temperature dependence of the kinetics and the changes in the shape of α(E) with the results suggesting the presence of more than one mechanism for the creation of light induced defects associated with the Staebler-Wronski effect (SWE).


2000 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niko Schultz ◽  
P. Craig Taylor

ABSTRACTWe investigated the temperature dependence of the production and annealing kinetics of the light induced defect states in a:Si:H by electron spin resonance (ESR). At low temperatures (T ∼ 25 K) the silicon dangling bond production is about half as efficient as it is at 300 K. Defects, which are created below about 100 K, almost entirely anneal at room temperature. A sample of a-Si:H, which is subjected to several photo-excitation and annealing cycles, shows a very slow increase of both the degraded and annealed defect densities. The difference in the spin densities between the annealed and degraded states decreases with an increasing number of degradation/annealing cycles.


The electron spin resonance method was employed to study the nature, concentration and kinetics of the disappearance under varying conditions of radicals produced in polyethylene by fast electron irradiation at 77°K. The predominant radical species at 77°K is the alkyl radical —CH 2 —ĊH—CH 2 —. On being warmed to room temperature it disappears rapidly, revealing a more stable un­identified radical. The kinetics of the decay at room temperature of both radicals was observed. Their stabilities were found to vary in polyethylene samples of differing physical and chemical properties. G values for these radicals are given. Comparison was made with spectra obtained under similar conditions with two pure paraffins and a pure olefin to evaluate the effect of crystallinity branching, molecular weight and unsaturation. In the olefin there is evidence for a build-up of allyl radicals due to the encounter of an alkyl radical with main chain unsaturation. This supports the view that alkyl radicals are mobile, and cross-linking occurs when two such radicals meet.


1987 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z E. Smith ◽  
S. Wagner

AbstractThe experimental phenomena associated with light-induced degradation and thermal recovery of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films are reviewed, with special emphasis on the limitations of each experimental technique. When several techniques are used in concert, a fuller picture emerges. Recent experiments suggest different positions in the band-gap of the paramagnetic-associated defect states (the dangling bonds) for doped and undopedfilms; this information can be combined with conductivity, sub-bandgap optical absorption and electron spin resonance data to yield a model for the density of gap states (DOS) in a- Si:H, including how the DOS changes upon illumination and annealing.


In order to gain more information of the mechanism and kinetics of the decomposition of the metallic azides, we have recently made measurements of the high- and low- (radio-) frequency dielectric constants, the optical absorption, and the photo conductivity of silver azide. A complete description of this work has already bee published (McLaren & Rogers 1957) and therefore only a summary of the main results and conclusions will be given here. The absorption measurements have shown that for crystals ca . 4 x 10 -3 cm thick no measurable transmission occurs at wavelengths shorter than ca . 3000 Å, and that at liquid-air temperature there is an absorption band at 3590 Å which is not resolve at room temperature; these results have been interpreted in terms of the formation of excitons.


1997 ◽  
Vol 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Morgado ◽  
M. Rebelo da Silva ◽  
R. T. Henriques

ABSTRACTMetastable defects have been created by light exposure in thin films of a-Si:H. The samples have been characterized by Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy, Electron Spin Resonance, dark- and photo-conductivity. The experimental results are consistent with numerical calculations with a recombination model involving band tails and one class of correlated dangling-bond states. The effects of light-soaking on the ligh intensity and defect density dependences of photoconductivity are reproduced by the calculations. The model allows to explain the experimental trends by changes in the electronic occupation of the gap states produced by light-induced defects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (04) ◽  
pp. 1750019
Author(s):  
S. Pan ◽  
A. Mandal ◽  
Md. A. Sohel ◽  
A. K. Saha ◽  
D. Das ◽  
...  

Positron annihilation technique is applied to study the recovery of radiation-induced defects in 140 MeV oxygen (O[Formula: see text]) irradiated Fe-doped semi-insulating indium phosphide during annealing over a temperature region of 25[Formula: see text]C–650[Formula: see text]C. Lifetime spectra of the irradiated sample are fitted with three lifetime components. Trapping model analysis is used to characterize defect states corresponding to the de-convoluted lifetime values. After irradiation, the observed average lifetime of positron [Formula: see text] ps at room temperature is higher than the bulk lifetime by 21 ps which reveals the presence of radiation-induced defects in the material. A decrease in [Formula: see text] occurs during room temperature 25[Formula: see text]C to 200[Formula: see text]C indicating the dissociation of higher order defects, might be due to positron trapping in acceptor-type of defects ([Formula: see text]). A reverse annealing stage is found at temperature range of 250[Formula: see text]C–425[Formula: see text]C for [Formula: see text]-parameter probably due to the migration of vacancies and the formation of vacancy clusters. Increase in [Formula: see text]-parameter from 325[Formula: see text]C to 425[Formula: see text]C indicates the change in the nature of predominant positron trapping sites. Beyond 425[Formula: see text]C, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]-parameter and [Formula: see text]-parameter starts decreasing and around 650[Formula: see text]C, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]-parameter approached almost the bulk value showing the annealing out of radiation-induced defects.


1994 ◽  
Vol 336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Güneş ◽  
R. W. Collins ◽  
C. R. Wronski

ABSTRACTSteady-state photoconductivity, sub-bandgap absorption and electron spin resonance (ESR) Measurements were carried out on annealed and light soaked intrinsic hydrogenated Amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films. The experimental results were modeled using detailed numerical Model. The defect densities derived from the sub-bandgap absorption in the light soaked films were correlated with the ESR spin densities. Selfconsistent fitting of the data was obtained using a gap state distribution which consists of positively charged defect states above, negatively charged defect states below and neutral defect states at about Midgap. Both the annealed and the light degraded states are modeled using the same distribution of gap states whose densities increase upon light soaking with a slight increase in the ratio of the neutral to charged defect densities. These results on intrinsic a-Si:H are consistent with those of charged defect Models.


1992 ◽  
Vol 258 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sebastiani ◽  
P. Fiorini ◽  
F. Alvarez ◽  
F. Pozzilli ◽  
O. Pulci ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe have prepared silicon carbon alloys with Tauc's gap of 2.1 eV, low defect density (≃ 3–1015cm-3) and large photoconductivity (αPhoto/αdark=105 in AM 1.5 illumination). On these samples light soaking induces a large number of metastable gap defects which are annealed out at 250 °C. We have studied the kinetics of defect formation varying the duration of light exposure and the light intensity. The experimental data are consistent with a bond breaking model (conversion of tail weak bonds into dangling bonds), provided that the actual occupation of tail states is taken into account.


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