In this contribution we present the visible and near IR photoluminescence (PL) analysis of Erdoped nanocrystalline silicon thin films produced by the rf magnetron sputtering method.Efficient photoluminescence was observed in these structures in both the visible and1.54 µm wavelength regions. We show the strong influence of the presence ofa nanocrystalline phase in films on their luminescence efficiency at1.54 µm, which has been studied for a series of specially prepared samples with differentcrystallinities, i.e. percentages and sizes of Si nanocrystals. The mechanism involved in thevisible photoluminescence of a highly crystalline nc-Si:H sample consisting of about 7 nmsilicon nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous matrix is discussed.