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A thin film is a layer of material ranging from fractions of a nanometer (monolayer) to several micrometers in thickness. The controlled synthesis of materials as thin films (a process referred to as deposition) is a fundamental step in many applications. A familiar example is the household mirror, which typically has a thin metal coating on the back of a sheet of glass to form a reflective interface. The process of silvering was once commonly used to produce mirrors, while more recently the metal layer is deposited using techniques such as sputtering. Advances in thin film deposition techniques during the 20th century have enabled a wide range of technological breakthroughs in areas such as magnetic recording media, electronic semiconductor devices, integrated passive devices, LEDs, optical coatings (such as antireflective coatings), hard coatings on cutting tools, and for both energy generation (e.g. thin-film solar cells) and storage (thin-film batteries). It is also being applied to pharmaceuticals, via thin-film drug delivery. A stack of thin films is called a multilayer. In addition to their applied interest, thin films play an important role in the development and study of materials with new and unique properties. Examples include multiferroic materials, and superlattices that allow the study of quantum phenomena. Nucleation is an important step in growth that helps determine the final structure of a thin film. Many growth methods rely on nucleation control such as atomic-layer epitaxy (atomic layer deposition). Nucleation can be modeled by characterizing surface process of adsorption, desorption, and surface diffusion. Adsorption is the interaction of a vapor atom or molecule with a substrate surface. The interaction is characterized the sticking coefficient, the fraction of incoming species thermally equilibrated with the surface. Desorption reverses adsorption where a previously adsorbed molecule overcomes the bounding energy and leaves the substrate surface.

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ABCD Technology

Active in thin film deposition, oxide materials and chemical beam epitaxy. ABCD Technology specializes in thin film deposition technology using Chemical Beam Epitaxy to produce top-quality oxide thin films for various high-tech markets.

Substrate (materials science)

Substrate is a term used in materials science and engineering to describe the base material on which processing is conducted. This surface could be used to produce new film or layers of material such as deposited coatings. It could be the base to which paint, adhesives, or adhesive tape is bonded. A typical substrate might be rigid such as metal, concrete, or glass, onto which a coating might be deposited. Flexible substrates are also used. With all coating processes, the condition of the surface of the substrate can strongly affect the bond of subsequent layers.

Diamond-like carbon

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is a class of amorphous carbon material that displays some of the typical properties of diamond. DLC is usually applied as coatings to other materials that could benefit from such properties. DLC exists in seven different forms. All seven contain significant amounts of sp3 hybridized carbon atoms. The reason that there are different types is that even diamond can be found in two crystalline polytypes. The more common one uses a cubic lattice, while the less common one, lonsdaleite, has a hexagonal lattice.

Titanium nitride

Titanium nitride (TiN; sometimes known as Tinite) is an extremely hard ceramic material, often used as a physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating on titanium alloys, steel, carbide, and aluminium components to improve the substrate's surface properties. Applied as a thin coating, TiN is used to harden and protect cutting and sliding surfaces, for decorative purposes (for its golden appearance), and as a non-toxic exterior for medical implants. In most applications a coating of less than is applied.

MSE-465: Thin film fabrication technologies

The students will learn about the essential chemical, thermodynamic and physical mechanisms governing thin film growth, about the most important process techniques and their typical features, includin

Micro and Nanofabrication (MEMS)

Learn the fundamentals of microfabrication and nanofabrication by using the most effective techniques in a cleanroom environment.

Microstructure Fabrication Technologies I

Learn the fundamentals of microfabrication and nanofabrication by using the most effective techniques in a cleanroom environment.

Micro and Nanofabrication (MEMS)

Learn the fundamentals of microfabrication and nanofabrication by using the most effective techniques in a cleanroom environment.

Organometallic chemistry

Organometallic chemistry is the study of organometallic compounds, chemical compounds containing at least one chemical bond between a carbon atom of an organic molecule and a metal, including alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metals, and sometimes broadened to include metalloids like boron, silicon, and selenium, as well. Aside from bonds to organyl fragments or molecules, bonds to 'inorganic' carbon, like carbon monoxide (metal carbonyls), cyanide, or carbide, are generally considered to be organometallic as well.

Electrochemistry

Electrochemistry is the branch of physical chemistry concerned with the relationship between electrical potential difference, as a measurable and quantitative phenomenon, and identifiable chemical change, with the potential difference as an outcome of a particular chemical change, or vice versa. These reactions involve electrons moving via an electronically-conducting phase (typically an external electrical circuit, but not necessarily, as in electroless plating) between electrodes separated by an ionically conducting and electronically insulating electrolyte (or ionic species in a solution).

Mineralogy

Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization. History of mineralogy Early writing on mineralogy, especially on gemstones, comes from ancient Babylonia, the ancient Greco-Roman world, ancient and medieval China, and Sanskrit texts from ancient India and the ancient Islamic world.

Deposition: Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Techniques ME-426: Micro/Nanomechanical devices

Explores Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) techniques for thin film deposition in nanofabrication, addressing issues like metal diffusion and proper metal contact.

Sputtering: Ion Target Interactions MICRO-621: MOOC: Micro and Nanofabrication (MEMS)MOOC: Micro and Nanofabrication (MEMS)

Examines ion-target interactions in PVD sputtering processes, covering compound deposition, surface damage, and factors influencing target ejection rates.

Thin-Film Processing MICRO-566: Large-area electronics: devices and materials

Explores thin-film processing techniques, including CVD, ALD, and plasma interactions, emphasizing their advantages and applications.

Electron Beam Induced Copper Deposition from Carboxylate Precursors and the Study of Underlying Growth Mechanisms

Luisa Berger

The fabrication of defined and high-quality metal nanostructures is an ongoing topic of research. Direct-write deposition of copper nanostructures is of great value for many fields of research and ind

EPFL2020

The Influence of Microstructure on Nanomechanical and Diffusion Barrier Properties of Thin PECVD SiOx Films Deposited on Parylene C Substrates

Ivo Furno, Yves Leterrier, Matthias Van Gompel

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was used to deposit SiOx thin films of varying thicknesses on parylene C substrates, using hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) as a precursor. The microstruc

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA2019

Experiments and modelling for glow discharge plasmas applied to niobium sputter deposition in superconducting radiofrequency cavities

Thibaut François Hugo Richard

Thin film coatings are ubiquitous in modern daily lives, from the semi-conductor industry to aesthetic applications, and rely on the modification of a given material to enhance its surface properties.

EPFL2019