Formation of aluminum silicide between two layers of amorphous silicon

Thin‐film structures of amorphous Si/Al/amorphous Si were deposited consecutively without breaking the vacuum. During annealing to 440 K, Al reacts with Si to form a homogeneous compound layer between the two a‐Si layers. This compound has a unique and well‐defined structure, different from both Al and Si although some similarities exist. The Al silicide observed is stable up to 575 K, at which temperature it dissociates when a‐Si crystallizes.