Silicon does not have to be crystalline, but can also be produced as an amorphous thin film. In such amorphous films, the atomic structure is disordered like in a liquid or glass.

Zachariasen had already proposed such a structure for amorphous silica 80 years ago. This structure has each silicon atom in a plane surrounded by three oxygen atoms, just like in crystalline silica.

amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC). Beyond ... Anything made out of plastic or glass is known as an amorphous material. Unlike many materials that freeze into crystalline solids, the atoms and ...

This material, known as amorphous ice, lacks regular ice’s highly ordered crystalline structure, leading scientists to categorize ... The hyperuniformity present in amorphous silicon may enable new ...

are amorphous solids, in other words, they are resistant like solids but, like liquids, lack a crystalline structure. Scientists at CNRS-affiliated laboratories (1) in Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris ...

OxStu explores how the structure of glass makes it ubiquitous in everyday life and why we are still exploring its use.