Charge-Defect Equilibrium Description of the Staebler-Wronski Defect Concentration and Formation Energy

Abstract

ABSTRACTAn equilibrium framework for the high temperature behavior of dangling bond defects in amorphous materials is developed. With this framework it is possible to relate the thermal formation of defects directly with those created by high temperature illumination or current injection. It is found that the free energy change associated with dangling bond formation is negative. The negative free energy change means that if one considered only the structural changes, the lowest energy state for the system is with the weak bonds split into neutral and charged dangling bonds!