Abstract
Amorphous (a-) semiconductors like a-Si:H and the chalcogenide glasses possess a general tendency to establish an overall equilibrium between the electronic system and the lattice with its dopant and defect sites. In the present paper the chemical interactions which establish these equilibria within the bulk of the a-semiconductor lattices are compared to chemical interactions in liquid electrolytes, particularly to those in H2O. These considerations reveal close similarities between autocompensation doping in a-semiconductors and acid/base reactions in H2O. The effects of light and field-effect induced defect formation, on the other hand, are shown to be related to the phenomenon of electrolysis in H2O. The consideration of these analogies further emphasizes the roles of charge-carrier localization and that of H-diffusion in promoting dopant and defect equilibration reactions in a-semiconductors.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R.A. Street: Phys. Rev. Lett. 49, 1187 (1982)
G. Müller, S. Kalbitzer, H. Mannsperger: Appl. Phys. A 39, 243 (1986)
Y. Bar-Yam, D. Adler, J.D. Joannopoulos: Phys. Rev. 58, 2505 (1986)
ZE. Smith, S. Wagner: Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 688 (1987)
M. Stutzmann. Phil. Mag. B 56, 53 (1987)
W.B. Jackson, J. Kakalios: In Amorphous Silicon and Related Materials, ed. by H. Fritsche (World Scientific, Singapore 1988) pp. 247–295
J. Kakalios, R.A. Street: In Amorphous Silicon and Related Materials, ed. by H. Fristche (World Scientific, Singapore 1988) pp. 165–205
J. Kakalios, W.B. Jackson: In Amorphous Silicon and Related Materials, ed. by H. Fritsche (World Scientific, Singapore 1988) pp. 207–245
ZE. Smith, S. Wagner: In Amorphous Silicon and Related Materials, ed. by H. Fritsche (World Scientific, Singapore 1988) pp. 207–245
G. Krötz, J. Wind, H. Stizl, G. Müller, S. Kalbitzer, H. Mannsperger: Phil. Mag. B 63, 101 (1991)
J. Lyubin: Non-Cryst. Solids 97 & 98, 47 (1988)
G. Müller: Phil. Mag. B 63, 465 (1991)
H. Reiss, C.S. Fuller, F.J. Morin: Bell Sys. Tech. J. 35, 535 (1956)
H. Rickert: Einführung in die Elektrochemie fester Stoffe (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 1973)
H. Rickert: Electrochemistry of Solids (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 1982)
H.R. Christen: Grundlagen der allgemeinen und anorganischen Chemie (Salle u. Sauerländer, Frankfurt 1976)
H. Scholze: Glas — Natur, Struktur und Eigenschaften (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 1988) p. 75
G. Müller: Appl. Phys. Lett. A 45, 51 (1988)
G. Müller: Appl. Phys. Lett. A 45, 91 (1988)
M.J. Powell, S.C. Deane, I.D. French, J.R. Hughes, W.I. Milne: Phil. Mag. B 63, 325 (1991)
D.L. Staebler, C.R. Wronski: Appl. Phys. Lett. 31, 292 (1977)
M. Stutzmann, W.B. Jackson, C.C. Tsai: Phys. Rev. B 32, 23 (1985)
S. Aljishi, ZE. Smith, V. Chu, J. Kolodzey, D. Slobodin, J.P. Conde, D.S. Shen, S. Wagner: Int. Conf. on Stability of Amorphous Silicon Alloy Materials and Devices, Palo Alto, (1987)
N.F. Mott: Adv. Phys. 16, 49 (1967)
R.A. Street, N.F. Mott: Phys. Rev. Lett. 35, 1235 (1975)
M. Kastner, D. Adler, H. Fritsche: Phys. Rev. Lett. 37, 1504 (1976)
R.T.S. Shiah, R.H. Bube: J. Appl. Phys. 47, 2005 (1976)
S.R. Elliott: Phil. Mag. 36, 1291 (1977)
H. Seidel, L. Csepregi, A. Heuberger, H. Baumgärtel: J. Electrochem. Soc. 137, 3612 (1990)
S.R. Morrison: The Chemical Physics of Surfaces (Plenum, New York 1977)
Y.V. Pleskov: Solar Energy Conversion (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 1990)
J.D. Jackson: Classical Electrodynamics (Wiley, New York 1975) p. 291