TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: Depositing of the ink comprises spin coating or screen printing. Sintering is performed in an oven; or sintering is performed with a laser directed at the deposited silicon. The polycrystalline layer forms an intrinsic layer of the cell, and further comprises depositing an amorphous intrinsic silicon layer along the surface of the polycrystalline layer. The method further comprises depositing an amorphous doped layer having a dopant concentration from about 0.05 atomic percent to about 35 atomic percent on the amorphous intrinsic layer and applying a current collector positioned to collect current from the amorphous doped layer. Preferred Parameters: The ink comprises silicon particles having an average primary particle diameter of no more than about 75 nm. It has a z-average secondary particle size of no more than about 250 nm. The silicon particles have a dopant level of no more than about 25 ppm. The polycrystalline layer is an intrinsic layer having a doping level of no more than about 25 ppm and a location between the p-doped elemental silicon layer and the n-doped elemental silicon layer. It has an average thickness from about 200 nm to about 10 microns. Preferred Composition: The silicon particles comprise phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb) or its combination as a dopant and have a dopant level from about 0.01 atomic percent to about 15 atomic percent; or the silicon particles comprise boron (B), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In) or its combination as a dopant and have a dopant level from about 0.1 atomic percent to about 15 atomic percent. The n-doped layer has a dopant level from about 0.05 atomic percent to about 35 atomic percent and the p-doped layer has a dopant level from about 0.05 atomic percent to about 35 atomic percent. The composite layer comprises from about 0.1 wt.% to about 70 wt.% amorphous silicon; the composite layer comprises from about 1 wt.% to about 20 wt.% amorphous silicon; or the composite layer comprises from about 0.1 to about 40 atomic percent hydrogen. Preferred Components: The p-doped elemental silicon layer and/or the n-doped elemental silicon layer are also polycrystalline. One of the p-doped element silicon layer is polycrystalline and the n-doped elemental silicon layer is amorphous. One of the p-doped element silicon layer is amorphous and the n-doped elemental silicon layer is amorphous. The thin film solar cell further comprises a second diode junction comprising an amorphous elemental silicon n-doped layer, an amorphous element p-doped layer and an amorphous intrinsic layer between the n-doped layer and the p-doped layer.