Measurements of photoluminescence in a-Si:C:H alloys are reported. The
alloys are grown at different Levels of hydrogen dilution in the plas
ma and the measurements are made to study how H dilution influences th
e defect and recombination properties. It is found that strong H dilut
ion yields samples with low defect density and high photoluminescence
efficiency. However, high H dilution also causes changes in band gap e
nergy, which is partially responsible for the improved electronic prop
erties.