We demonstrate the disorder-induced low-temperature crystallization in the nanocrystalline silicon film growth by rf plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of H-2-diluted SiH2Cl2 and SiCl4. The combination of the chemical reactivity of SiCld (d: dangling bond) and SiHCl complexes and the release of the disorder-induced stress near the growing surface tightly correlate with the phase transitionity of SiCld and SiHCI complexes near the growing surface with the aid of atomic hydrogen, which induce higher degree of disorder in the a-Si network. These features are most prominent in the SiCl4 compared with those of SiH2Cl2 and SiH4, which preferentially enhance the nanocrystalline Si formation. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.