The formation of trapped states due to mechanical strain dominates the characteristics of a-Si:H thin-film transistors. The behavior of electrical characteristics affected by mechanical strain can be explained by the redistribution of trap states in the bandgap. The disordered bonds may generate a redistribution of trap states, resulting in unstable electrical characteristics, such as threshold voltage, subthreshold swing, and the mobility of carriers. During a mechanical strain, the deep states are redistributed into a Gaussian distribution and are dissimilar to ordinary acceptor-like deep states, which have exponential distributions. It is concluded that the gap state density of an a-Si:H layer under the effects of mechanical strain is fundamental to the reliability and development of flexible electronics. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.