Electrode for use in lithium battery and rechargeable lithium battery

An electrode for a lithium battery which contains active material capable of lithium storage and release, characterized in that a noncrystalline or microcrystalline silicon thin film provided on a current collector is used for said active material, said current collector has a surface roughness Ra in the range of 0.1 μm or greater, and a constituent of said current collector is diffused into said thin film,

• said electrode being characterized in that said thin film is divided into columns by gaps formed therein wherein said gaps extend in the thin film thickness direction toward the current collector from valleys of irregularities existing on the thin film surface prior to the formation of said columns and gaps, and said columns are at their bottoms adhered to the current collector.