Chapter 1 - Deposition Technologies: An Overview

Abstract

There is a very large number and wide variation of deposition techniques. There is no unique method to classify these techniques. Depending on the viewpoint, the same process may fall into one or more classes. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages. The choice of technique will depend on the various selection criteria, specific application, and available resources. More than one technique can be used to deposit a given thin film material. Hybrid techniques are becoming more widely used and available. Thin film deposition technology and the science have progressed rapidly in the direction of engineered thin film coatings and surface engineering. Thin films with new properties are deposited with new deposition processes such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS), mid-frequency/dual magnetron sputtering (MF/DMS) and glancing angle of incidence deposition (GLAD). Advanced thin film deposition processes have been developed and new technologies have been adapted to conventional deposition processes. Thin film is the general term used for coatings that are used to modify and increase the functionality of a bulk surface or substrate. They are used to protect surfaces from wear, improve lubricity, improve corrosion and chemical resistance, and provide a barrier to gas penetration. Engineered materials are the future of thin film technology. Organic materials are also playing a much more important role in many types of coating structures and applications. Advanced deposition technologies are particularly successful in furthering medical and energy technologies, including thin film solar cells, thin film fuel cells (solid oxide fuel cells), biomedical products, and tribological applications.