A method fir growing heteroepitaxial Si films on sapphire was developed using a 6 nm thin Al layer at substrate temperature of 600 degrees C. Subsequently, the growth of Si nanowires was demonstrated on these films at 490 degrees C without breaking vacuum. We characterized the properties of the Si films by Raman scattering, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy and show that the crystal quality and dopant control are promising for photovoltaic applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.