Numerical analysis and experiment were used to clarify the relationship that existed between the carrier diffusion length and defect density in undoped amorphous hydrogenated material. It was noted that, in device-quality plasma-deposited material, the diffusion lengths of electrons and holes under steady-state illumination were governed by the density of Si dangling-bond defects. The latter ranged from 3 x 1015 to 8 x 1016/cm3.

I.Sakata, M.Yamanaka, T.Sekigawa: Journal of Applied Physics, 1997, 81[3], 1323-30