Au-induced crystallization of Si through a layer-exchange process has been investigated to achieve poly-Si films on insulators at low-temperatures (similar to 250 degrees C). By annealing (250-350 degrees C) of amorphous Si (a-Si)/Au stacked structures formed on insulators, the positions of Si/Au layers are inverted, and Au/poly-Si stacked structures are obtained. This Au-induced layer-exchange growth technique at low-temperatures (similar to 250 degrees C) should be very useful to obtain poly-Si films on flexible substrates, which are employed as template layers for growth of high quality Si1-xGex (x: 0-1) films to realize flexible high-speed thin-film transistors and flexible high-efficiency solar cells. (C) 2011 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3562275] All rights reserved.