In this paper, we use large area light pulse induced melting of deposited thin silicon films on oxidised silicon wafers to prepare coarse grained dendritic crystal structures. The results show that the addition of carbon prevents the agglomeration of the molten silicon films and largely influences the crystallisation process. The low solubility of carbon in liquid silicon and its effect on the silicon melting temperature induces a distinctive lateral dendritic grain growth. XTEM, SEM, AFM and ToF-SIMS investigations have been performed to study the crystallisation process and to characterise the resulting film structure. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.