Review of the Simulation of Transient Experiments on Amorphous Silicon Hydride

Abstract

The transient characteristics of amorphous silicon hydride (a-Si:H) devices are of great importance as a means of studying the fundamental electrical and photoelectrical processes in the material. To assist in the interpretation of these experiments, several groups have performed simulations to understand better the meaning of transient waveforms. Simulations begin with hypotheses of how the processes of interest affect each other and affect the measured quantity, and then calculate an expected experimental result. Transient experiments on a-Si:H have been simulated by a variety of techniques, including the Monte Carlo, Laplace transform, and time integration methods. Of these methods, time integration is the most powerful but also the most demanding on computer capabilities. Fortunately, recent advances in computer technology have brought the simulation of transient experiments on a-Si:H by time integration within the capabilities of advanced personal computers.