In order to clarify the effects of H incorporation and loss upon defects and disorder in undoped hydrogenated amorphous material, a comparative study was made of samples that had been deposited under various plasma conditions. A combination of infra-red absorption spectroscopy, electron spin resonance, photo-thermal deflection spectroscopy, constant photo-current methods, and elastic recoil analyses were used to monitor changes in the defect density and disorder, as well as in the H concentration and bonding modes, after isochronal annealing at temperatures of 500 to 600C. The results revealed that there was a superior stability of the bonded H in films that had been deposited at high rates. The overall results were explained in terms of specific local H-bonding environments that were related to various growth mechanisms.

K.Zellama, L.Chahed, P.Sládek, M.L.Thèye, J.H.Von Bardeleben, P.Roca i Cabarrocas: Physical Review B, 1996, 53[7], 3804-12