Thin films science and technology plays an important role in the high-tech industries. Thin film technology has been developed primarily for the need of the integrated circuit industry. The demand for development of smaller and smaller devices with higher speed especially in new generation of integrated circuits requires advanced materials and new processing techniques suitable for future giga scale integration (GSI) technology. In this regard, physics and technology of thin films can play an important role to acheive this goal. The production of thin films for device purposes has been developed over the past 40 years. Thin films as a two dimensional system are of great importance to many real-world problems. Their material costs are very small as compared to the corresponding bulk material and they perform the same function when it comes to surface processes. Thus, knowledge and determination of the nature, functions and new properties of thin films can be used for the development of new technologies for future applications.Thin film technology is based on three foundations: fabrication, characterization and applications. Some of the important applications of thin films are microelectronics, communication, optical electronics, catalysis, coating of all kinds, and energy generation and conservation strategies.This book emphasizes the importance of thin films and their properties for the new technologies. It presents basic principles, processes techniques and applications of thin films. As thin films physics and technology is a multidisciplinary field, the book will be useful to a wide varity of readers (especially young researcher) in physics, electronic engineering, material science and metallurgy.

Thin films science and technology plays an important role in the high-tech industries. Thin film technology has been developed primarily for the need of the integrated circuit industry. The demand for development of smaller and smaller devices with higher speed especially in new generation of integrated circuits requires advanced materials and new processing techniques suitable for future giga scale integration (GSI) technology. In this regard, physics and technology of thin films can play an important role to acheive this goal. The production of thin films for device purposes has been developed over the past 40 years. Thin films as a two dimensional system are of great importance to many real-world problems. Their material costs are very small as compared to the corresponding bulk material and they perform the same function when it comes to surface processes. Thus, knowledge and determination of the nature, functions and new properties of thin films can be used for the development of new technologies for future applications. Thin film technology is based on three foundations: fabrication, characterization and applications. Some of the important applications of thin films are microelectronics, communication, optical electronics, catalysis, coating of all kinds, and energy generation and conservation strategies. This book emphasizes the importance of thin films and their properties for the new technologies. It presents basic principles, processes techniques and applications of thin films. As thin films physics and technology is a multidisciplinary field, the book will be useful to a wide varity of readers (especially young researcher) in physics, electronic engineering, material science and metallurgy. Contents: Deposition Processes; Characterization Techniques; Surface Processes; Nanomaterials; Optical Materials; Superconductivity; Magnetic Thin Films. Readership: Graduate students and researchers involved with the physics and technology of thin films.

Thin film science and technology plays an important role in the high-tech industries. The production of thin films for device purposes has been developed over the past 40 years. Thin films as a two-dimensional system are of great importance to many real-world problems. Their material costs are very small as compared to the corresponding bulk material and they perform the same function when it comes to surface processes. Thus, knowledge and determination of the nature, functions and new properties of thin films can be used for the development of new technologies for future applications. Some of the important applications of thin films are microelectronics, communications, optical electronics, catalysis, coating of all kinds, and energy generation and conservation strategies. This book emphasizes the importance of thin films in new technologies. It presents basic concepts, techniques, materials, processing and applications of thin films. As thin film physics and technology is a multidisciplinary filed, the book will be useful to a wide variety of readers (especially young researchers) in physics, electronic engineering, materials science and metallurgy.

Based on lecture notes that have been used successfully by the authors for the past 10 years, with revisions made each year, this book is aimed at graduate students as well as professionals and researchers involved in thin film physics and technology. It is concise, comprehensive and well organized. The first part of the book introduces the concept, describes the various deposition procedures and illustrates PVD methods, evaporation and sputtering. The basic physical processes of film formation are then analyzed and formulated, including methods for monitoring and measuring film thickness. This book also shows how the subject matter connects with, relates and applies to other fields. In the second part of the book, 3 special topics ? ferromagnetic films, diffusion in thin films and mechanical properties of thin films ? are discussed.Given its wide scope, this book is relevant not just to those involved in materials science but also to engineers as well.

Includes Proceedings Vol. 7821

This volume contains the proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Thin Film Physics and Applications, held in Shanghai, China on 8-11 May 2000.