Formation and post-deposition compression of smooth and processable silicon thin films from nanoparticle suspensions

We report the formation of smooth and processable silicon thin-films from single-crystal silicon-nanoparticle suspensions. Single-crystal Si-nanoparticles (1–4 nm) are produced and suspended in various solvents. Films deposited from the suspension are mechanically stable and can be patterned and processed upon deposition. Physical compression of the films is presented as a mechanism to reduce porosity and global roughness. These thin-films, 100 nm thick and deposited from a single droplet, contain significant levels of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. Resistivities of the as-deposited films are 7 10 X cm—comparable to intrinsic nanocrystalline-Si. VC 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3697980]