Voids in amorphous semiconductors

Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) has been used to investigate density fluctuations occurring in amorphous semiconductors prepared by sputtering, evaporation and electrodeposition. Correlations of the total number of dangling bonds determined by SAXS, optical absorption, and ESR signals have been made. The density deficits from the density of the FC-2 crystal are in some cases accounted for by the voids. It is argued that models based on domains 10–15 Å in size are not supported by the SAXS data.