Eutectics is a fascinating physical phenomenon that takes place when two elements, such as silicon and a metal, are combined. The melting point of silicon, for example, is lowered when combined with a metal such as gold. This is an old discovery, and idea. What is new about our 1c-Si Eutectic approach is the following: when depositing the silicon from the eutectic melt we keep the temperature constant (above the Eutectic temp.) and increase the amount of silicon until heterogeneous nucleation takes place, allowing for highly textured, relatively large grained or single crystal thin film deposition via a modified liquid phase epitaxy approach.

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A patent for this was awarded April 22, 2015, by the USPTO