BONDING OF OXYGEN AND NITROGEN-ATOMS IN HYDROGENATED AMORPHOUS-SILICON ALLOYS

Incorporation of strongly electronegative atoms such as oxygen and nitrogen into hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloys, a-Si:O:H and a-Si:N:H, respectively, plays an important role in determining local bonding arrangements of the hydrogen atoms. This paper differentiates between local bonding arrangements of hydrogen atoms in a-Si:O:H and a-Si:N:H alloys, including a detailed discussion of hydrogen bond (H bond) formation and the roles H bonds can play in hydrogen evolution and in defect metastability.