The process of solid metal mediated epitaxy (SMME) was initially established as a means to successfully grow a crystalline silicon thin film at a buried Si(111)/c-Al(111) interface at low substrate temperatures,\(T_S=400^\circ \textrm{C}\).[1] This basic structure is a model system of the SMME process that offers several advantages over previous methods. This chapter outlines these previous methods and their inherent disadvantages. The diffusion of Si in a c-Al mediator film is illustrated in detail followed by the proposal of an atomistic growth model for Si(100).

References