Devices based on disordered semiconductors have wide applications. It is difficult to imagine modern life without printers and copiers, LCD monitors and TVs, optical disks, economical solar cells, and many other devices based on disordered semiconductors. However, nowadays books that discuss disordered (amorphous, nanocrystalline, microcrystalline)

Compared with the first edition, this book takes into account the latest developments of disordered semiconductors and devices. It has new sections on the structure of carbon-based amorphous and nanocomposite films and atomic and electronic structure of organic semiconductors. It also features charge-carrier transport in these materials; chemical modification of the atomic structure of disordered semiconductors; structural, chemical, and phase modification of amorphous diamond-like silicon-carbon films; photovoltaic cells based on silicon hetero-junction technology (SHJT); and organic and hybrid photovoltaic cells.

This textbook links characteristic features of atomic and electronic structures of disordered semiconductors to the device design process. It begins with a description of general concepts of disordered semiconductors, their atomic structures, the structure of energy bands, and their defects, as well as their electrical, optical, and photovoltaic properties. Since weak sensitivity to impurities is a distinguishing feature of disordered semiconductors, methods of property control and thin-film preparation methods are the areas of focus. Finally, applications of disordered semiconductors in various devices are considered.

Twenty-four years ago, Hellmut Fritzsche came to our laboratory to evaluate our work in amorphous materials. He came many times, sometimes bringing his violin to play with our youngest son, to talk, to help, to discover, and to teach. The times with him were always exciting and rewarding. There was a camaraderie in the early years that has continued and a friendship that has deepened among Iris and me and Hellmut, Sybille and their children. The vision that Hellmut Fritzsche shared with me, the many important contributions he made, the science that he helped so firmly to establish, the courage he showed in the time of our adversity, and the potential that he recognized put all of us in the amorphous field, not only his close friends and collaborators, in his debt. He helped make a science out of intuition, and played an important role not only in the experimental field but also in the basic theoretical aspects. It has been an honor to work with Hellmut through the years.

Defects in ion-implanted semiconductors are important and will likely gain increased importance as annealing temperatures are reduced with successive IC generations. Novel implant approaches, such as MdV implantation, create new types of defects whose origin and annealing characteristics will need to be addressed. Publications in this field mainly focus on the effects of ion implantation on the material and the modification in the implanted layer after high temperature annealing. The editors of this volume and Volume 45 focus on the physics of the annealing kinetics of the damaged layer. An overview of characterization tehniques and a critical comparison of the information on annealing kinetics is also presented. Provides basic knowledge of ion implantation-induced defects Focuses on physical mechanisms of defect annealing Utilizes electrical, physical, and optical characterization tools for processed semiconductors Provides the basis for understanding the problems caused by the defects generated by implantation and the means for their characterization and elimination