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Experimental Determination of the Distribution of Tail States of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon: A Transient Photocurrent Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

D. P. Webb
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
F. Y. M. Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
X. C. Zou
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Y. C. Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Y. W. Lam
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
S. H. Lin
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
S. K. O'Leary
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
P. K. Lim
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
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Abstract

Recent experimental developments have cast doubt on the validity of the common assumption that the distribution of tail states of hydrogenated amorphous silicon exhibits a single exponential functional form. We employ transient photocurrent decay measurements to determine this distribution of tail states. In our approach, however, we determine the distribution of tail states directly from the experimental data, without assuming, a priori, a specific functional form. It is found that these experimental results are consistent with other more recent experimental determinations of the distribution of tail states, suggesting the possibility of deviations from a single exponential distribution of tail states in hydrogenated amorphous silicon.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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References

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