Hydrogenated amorphous and microcrystalline silicon films were deposited by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) at low substrate temperatures using H-2-diluted SiH4 as a source gas. High-density plasma generated by inductively coupled excitation facilitates the crystallization of silicon films at low temperatures, and microcrystalline silicon films were obtained at the substrate temperature as low as 180 degrees C. The columnar structure of the films becomes more and more compact with an increase of their crystallinity. The reduction of hydrogen content in the films causes a narrowing of the optical bandgap and an enhancement of the absorption with increasing the substrate temperature. The microcrystalline silicon films show two electronic transport mechanisms: one is related to the density of state distribution in the temperature region near room temperature and the other is the variable range hopping between localized electronic states close to the Fermi level below 170 K. A reasonable explanation is presented for the dependence of the optoelectronic properties on the microstructure of the silicon films. The films prepared at a substrate temperature of 300 degrees C have highly crystalline and compact columnar structure, high optical absorption coefficient and electrical conductivity, and a low hydrogen content of 3.8%. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.