Ion‐implanted amorphous regions of Si in the presence of Al films 300–700 Å thick are found to recrystallize between 325 and 350°C. This recrystallization occurs at a temperature significantly below both the epitaxial regrowth of the amorphous Si (∼ 600°C) and the Al&sngbnd;Si eutectic of 577°C. In the case of the 300‐Å metallizations, the enhanced low‐temperature reordering of the damaged layer is simultaneously accompanied by an interfacial migration which results in Si transport to the surface of the sample. The observed phenomena are analyzed as a function of anneal temperature by 280‐keV &agr;‐particle backscattering and 1.8–6.2‐eV optical reflectance measurements.