Effects of magnesium film thickness and annealing temperature on formation of Mg2Si films on silicon (1Â 1Â 1) substrate deposited by magnetron sputtering

► We report preparation of Mg2Si films by magnetron sputtering method. ► We report effect of deposited Mg film thickness on formation. ► We report effect of annealing temperature on formation. ► High quality Mg2Si films are prepared directly by annealing at 400 °C for 5 h. ► The texture of Mg2Si films becomes dense as deposited Mg film thickness increases.