Low-temperature growth of crystalline silicon films from chlorinated materials, i.e., SiH2Cl2 and SiCl4 is investigated from conventional RF plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. The surface chemistry of the chlorine-terminated surface in both SiH2Cl2 and SiCl4 systems is discussed through systematic studies on the film deposition combined with in situ monitoring of the surface reaction using Fourier transform infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. The effect of the impurity doping of B2H6 on the surface chemistry is also discussed in both systems. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.