Center for Thin Film Studies

Abstract

Abstract : This report is for the entire term of operation of the URI Thin Film Center, including the six-month no-cost extension of the subject contract, and contains a summary of the research performed under this umbrella grant. Sections of this report address work on growth and characterization of thin films by various methods; modeling of thin film growth; and preparation and characterization of substrates for film growth. The Center for Thin Film Studies covered a wide range of research topics, from fundamental studies of growth to applications of processing methods. Also developed were new and improved analysis tools, such as Brillouin spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, microreflectometry, and surface probes such as scanning tunneling microscopy. Practical properties of interest such as scattering and absorptive losses, surface roughness, and optical properties for a variety of materials have also been reported. The attached summary highlights the important advances of the three-and-a-half-year effort; for further details, the reader is referred to the bibliography and the articles listed therein.