Inhomogeneity in the Network Order of Device Quality a-Si:H

Abstract

In this paper we show that the degree of order of the Si network in a-Si:H is increasing with two length scales from the surface into the bulk. The major manifestation of the disorder is the variation in the Si-Si bond-stretching rather than the variation in the width of the dihedral angle distribution. The results are interpreted in terms of the decrease of the hydrogen concentration from the free surface into the bulk.