Metal-induced crystallization

Metal-induced crystallization (MIC) is a method by which amorphous silicon, or a-Si, can be turned into polycrystalline silicon at relatively low temperatures. In MIC an amorphous Si film is deposited onto a substrate, usually glass or Si, and then capped with a metal, such as aluminium. The structure is then annealed at temperatures between 150C and 400C which causes the a-Si films to be transformed into polycrystalline silicon.