Temperature dependent formation of microcrystal and amorphous silicon by vacuum evaporation

In silicon films deposited in vacuum by electron beam evaporation of solid silicon, the substrate temperature dependence of the formation temperature of amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon is determined. On steel and alumina substrates, below 520°C, the silicon film is amorphous. Above this temperature, the film is crystalline with a pronounced optical band gap of 1.7 eV. With thermal treatment in vacuum, a transformation from an amorphous to a crystalline state is observed at 650°C.