CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2. GROWTH OF NANOCRYSTALLINE SILICON 2.1 Growth Mechanisms ix ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to show my gratitude and thank to those who helped me with various aspects of conducting research and the writing of this thesis. First and foremost, I would like to thank my major professor Dr.Vikram L. Dalal for his constant support and faith in me for the last four years. He has been always a support pillar and helped me in every possible way during my research. I would also like to thank my committee members for their invaluable