Amorphous materials differ significantly from their crystalline counterparts in several ways that create unique issues in their use. This book explores these issues and their implications, and provides a full treatment of both experimental and theoretical studies in the field.Advances in Amorphous Semiconductors covers a wide range of studies on hydrogenated amorphous silicon, amorphous chalcogenides, and some oxide glasses. It reviews structural properties, properties associated with the charge carrier-phonon interaction, defects, electronic transport, photoconductivity, and some applications of amorphous semiconductors. The book explains a number of recent advances in semiconductor research, including some of the editors' own findings. It addresses some of the problems associated with the validity of the effective mass approximation, whether K is a good quantum number, and the concepts of phonons and excitons. It also discusses recent progress made in understanding light-induced degradations in amorphous semiconductors, which is seen as the most limiting problem in device applications.
The book presents a comprehensive review of both experimental and theoretical studies on amorphous semiconductors, which will be useful to students, researchers, and instructors in the field of amorphous solids.