Cobalt (Co)-induced crystalline silicon (Si) growth was investigated. The Co catalyst reacted to dc magnetron sputtered Si at 600 degrees C forming a Co silicide layer. The polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) was epitaxially grown above the Co silicide template, which has a small lattice misfit to Si. Annealing followed to improve the Si crystallinity. X-ray diffraction was performed to trace Co silicide phase formation and transition. The Co-rich silicide phase transitioned to CoSi2 by annealing. The crystallinity of Si films was identified using reflection absorption Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, which detected unique peaks at 689 and 566 cm(-1) after the annealing process. The thin poly-Si film was used to fabricate a Schottky diode to prove the electronic quality. A good quality Si thin film was achieved by the metal-induced Si growth. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.