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A quantitative characterization of the optical absorption spectrum associated with hydrogenated amorphous silicon

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Abstract

We propose a quantitative means of characterizing the optical absorption spectrum associated with an amorphous semiconductor. In particular, for a representative hydrogenated amorphous silicon optical absorption experimental data set, through a series of least-squares linear fits of an exponential function to this experimental data set, taken over a number of optical absorption ranges, we determine how the breadth of the optical absorption tail varies along the optical absorption spectrum of hydrogenated amorphous silicon. We find that the quantitative variations in the breadth of the optical absorption tail that are found provide for a clear delineation between the different regions of the optical absorption spectrum of hydrogenated amorphous silicon. We complete this analysis by theoretically determining the form of the optical absorption spectrum using a recently developed empirical model for the density of states functions corresponding to hydrogenated amorphous silicon, this analysis providing a theoretical basis for the interpretation of our results.

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Notes

  1. The experimental data in Fig. 1 corresponds to the standard glow discharge a-Si:H data set presented in Figure 5.2 of Remeš [27].

  2. It should be noted that the exact ranges of \(\alpha(\hbar\omega)\) corresponding to the three different regions of the optical absorption spectrum may differ somewhat from that suggested by Wood and Tauc [17].

  3. Similar parameter selections were also made by Mok and O’Leary [34].

  4. As defect states are neglected in the empirical DOS model, we do not expect to see defect absorption in our theoretical results.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for financial support. The use of equipment loaned from the Canadian Microelectronics Corporation, and equipment granted from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada, S4S 0A2

    Farida Orapunt

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada, N9B 3P4

    Stephen K. O’Leary

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  1. Farida Orapunt
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  2. Stephen K. O’Leary
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Correspondence to Stephen K. O’Leary.

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Orapunt, F., O’Leary, S.K. A quantitative characterization of the optical absorption spectrum associated with hydrogenated amorphous silicon. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 20, 1033–1038 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-008-9825-8

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