Abstract
The fabrication of self-standing thin layers of nanocrystalline silicon to use as a top-cell in multijunction silicon-based solar cells has been investigated. Study on the effects of different oxidation processes such as rapid thermal oxidation (RTO) and high-pressure water vapor annealing (HWA) on the optical characteristics has also been carried out. Samples treated with a combination of RTO and HWA feature particularly interesting photonic features such as efficient and stable blue photoluminescence as well as a blue shift of the absorption edge corresponding to a widening of the band gap due to quantum confinement in nanodots of silicon. Such interesting properties are expected to lead to potential application in the photovoltaic field.