The Role of the Band GAP in the Light-Induced Degradation of Amorphous Silicon Alloys

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe dependence of the light-induced degradation on the band gap and hydrogen content in Amorphous silicon and related alloys is discussed. A simple model is presented which predicts that the light-induced degradation should be strongly correlated with the optical gap. In particular, for materials with Egap smaller than approximately 1.2eV no degradation is expected. The implications and consequences of the model for the task of reducing metastability in Amorphous silicon alloys are discussed.