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Materials science

Crystallization of silicon ideas

Nature volume 418, pages 30–31 (2002)Cite this article

The more desirable form of silicon for use in display screens is also the more expensive to manufacture. Understanding how crystalline silicon forms could be a key to cheaper communications devices.

Amorphous silicon is the leading electronic material for large-area applications, used in solar cells and in the thin-film transistors that make up liquid-crystal displays. However, amorphous silicon suffers from an electrical instability that causes a gradual loss of conversion efficiency in solar cells. There is another form of silicon, nanocrystalline silicon, that is more stable and whose charge-carriers (electrons and holes) are more mobile, making it more attractive for use in these applications.

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  1. Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, UK

    John Robertson

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Correspondence to John Robertson.

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Robertson, J. Crystallization of silicon ideas. Nature 418, 30–31 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/418030a

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