Hydrogen evolution and defect creation in amorphous Si: H alloys

Changes in the composition and electronic properties of plasma-deposited $a$-Si: H after annealing at temperatures through 600° C are studied by ESR, luminescence, infrared spectroscopy and hydrogen evolution. The generation of paramagnetic defects in $a$-Si: H on annealing is found to depend only on the amount of hydrogen evolved. The relation of peaks in the hydrogen-evolution rate to specific local hydrogen-bonding environments is studied and shown to be dominated by the effects of diffusion and sample microstructure.