The thickness dependence of the subgap optical absorption in plasma‐deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon is carefully studied by photothermal deflection spectroscopy. The deep‐level defect concentration decays from the top surface into the bulk where it approaches the thermal equilibrium defect density. This defect profile is interpreted in terms of the annealing, during growth, of growth‐induced surface defects. It is also shown that this defect profile is compatible with the known growth‐temperature dependence of the defect density in amorphous silicon.