The hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) technique was employed to deposit muc-Si emitters and a-Si-x:H passivation/antireflection films, and to hydrogenate silicon thin layers grown by atmospheric-pressure iodine vapor transport (APIVT). Photovoltaic devices with HWCVD muc-Si emitters on APIVT epitaxial silicon exhibit greater than 8% efficiency, similar to those made with diffused junctions. On polycrystalline APIVT-Si layers, a HWCVD-deposited muc-Si emitter reduces open-circuit voltage loss caused by grain boundaries. Hot-wire hydrogenation improves Hall mobility by approximately 50%. HWCVD a-SiNx:H films improve minority-carrier lifetime significantly after thermal annealing at temperatures up to 500 degreesC. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.