High Electric Field Forming of a-Si:H P-I-N Diodes

Abstract

Amorphous hydrogenated p-i-n diodes submitted to a high reverse bias for a long period of time undergo a metastable evolution which tends to improve their properties. A forming procedure based on this effect has been developed and leads to a significant decrease of the reverse current and increase of the breakdown voltage. In this paper, the mechanisms underlying this forming process have been investigated using the Constant Photocurrent Method (CPM) , (I-V) characteristics and Spectral Response under reverse bias. The effects of annealing and current induced defect creation have been studied. The forming process is found to be most consistent with a metastable increase in the dopant activation of the p-layer and a small decrease of the density of states in the i-layer.