  We introduce a self-passivation of single lead (Pb) and oxygen (O) vacancies
in the \alpha-PbO compound through formation of a Pb-O vacancy pair. The
preferential mechanism for pair formation involves initial development of the
single Pb vacancy which, by weakening the covalent bonding, sets up the crystal
lattice for an appearance of the O vacancy. Binding of the Pb and O vacancies
occurs through the ionization interactions. Since no dangling bonds appear at
the Pb-O pair site, this defect has a minor effect on the electronic
properties. In such, vacancy self-passivation offers a practical way to improve
the transport properties in thermally grown PbO layers.
