Anderson transition and thermal effects on electron states in amorphous silicon

I discuss the properties of electron states in amorphous Si based on large scale calculations with realistic several thousand atom models. A relatively simple model for the localized to extended (Anderson) transition is reviewed. Then, the effect of thermal disorder on localized electron states is considered. It is found that under readily accessible conditions, localized (midgap or band tail) states and their conjugate energies may fluctuate. The possible importance of non-adiabatic atomic dynamics to doped or photo-excited systems is briefly discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.