Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
A phenomenological model for the light-induced metastability of a-Si:H is proposed in which a two-domain model of the amorphous network plays a central role. Boundaries between high and low density domains are associated with a significant fraction of the clustered Si-H in aSi:H. Weakly bonded hydrogen at these boundaries catalyzes metastable local configuration changes in the Si network due to non-radiative carrier recombination, leading qualitatively to both the gross structural changes and the increase in electronic defect density that are observed experimentally.