This paper presents results of studies on carrier-induced metastable defect creation in hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The metastable defects were studied by measuring the threshold voltage shifts on thin-film amorphous silicon transistors and capacitors as a function of time, temperature, and bias. The kinetics (time, temperature, bias, and doping dependence) of these defects as well as most other metastable-defect processes are quantitatively explained by hydrogen diffusion and the creation of defects due to the presence of excess band-tail carriers.

• Received 31 August 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.39.1164