Thermally stimulated H emission and diffusion in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

We report first principles ab initio density functional calculations of hydrogen dynamics in hydrogenated amorphous silicon. Thermal motion of the host Si atoms drives H diffusion, as we demonstrate by direct simulation and explain with simple models. Si-Si bond centers and Si ring centers are local energy minima as expected. We also describe a new mechanism for breaking Si-H bonds to release free atomic H into the network: fluctuating bond center detachment (FBCD)-assisted diffusion, in which a bond center H may be liberated by intercession of a third nearby Si. H dynamics in a-Si: H is dominated by structural fluctuations intrinsic to the amorphous phase not present in the crystal.