Abstract: The present invention describes a method of explosively vaporizing a piece f semiconductor material in a plasma formed by a fast, high voltage current pulse. The semiconductor material may be formed from crystalline, polycrystalline, or amorphous forms of semiconductor material. After the semiconductor material is vaporized, it coalesces as the plasma begins to cool and is deposited in a collection system. The size and composition of the microparticles formed by this process can be controlled by conditioning the plasma in predetermined manners. In particular, impurities can be introduced either in the target material, in gas introduced in the plasma, or in the gas through which the coalescing microparticles travel prior to deposition.