Interconnected Si nanocrystals forming thin films with controlled bandgap values

Interconnected Si nanocrystals forming homogeneous thin films with controlled bandgap values from 1.2 to 2.9 eV were formed by pulsed plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique under dusty plasma conditions. The chosen values of plasma duration time correspond to specific phases of the dust nanoparticle growth. Structural and optical properties of the deposited nanostructured films are described in details. These nanocrystalline Si thin films seem to be promising candidates for all-Si tandem solar cell applications.