Photobleaching of light-induced paramagnetic defects in amorphous silicon nitride films

Abstract

We report for the first time the photobleaching of light-induced paramagnetic defects in nitrogen-rich hydrogenated amorphous-silicon nitride thin films. We have determined the photon energy dependence and the stretched exponential time dependence for photoproduction and the subsequent photobleaching of the light-induced electron spin resonance signal. Photobleaching is a reversible process that occurs at low temperature (100 K) and at room temperature. These findings are in support of an optically induced rearrangement of charges in existing defects as an important light-induced effect in a-SiN1.6@B: H.