Abstract: A plasma ion deposition process of large-grain, thin semiconductor films directly on low-cost amorphous substrates comprising ionizing a semiconductor-based gaseous compound in a chamber by an electron-supported large volume, low pressure, high temperature plasma. The semiconductor ions are extracted from the compound and are deposited on the substrate. Preferably, the deposition is effected first at a slow deposition rate, followed by a higher deposition rate. The deposited ions are permitted to coalesce into lattice clusters, which clusters are grown, by further deposition, into a large-grain, thin semiconductor film on the substrate. Preferably, the semiconductor-based gaseous compound includes silane gas with dopant atom source gases.