Thin-film deposition

Thin-film deposition is the formation of a controlled layer of material on a substrate. It uses physical, chemical, or solution-based processes to set the layer’s thickness and composition.

Physical vapor deposition: A family of processes that vaporize a source material and condense it onto a substrate. It forms films by transporting source atoms or molecules through a vapor phase.
Nucleation: The initial formation of stable clusters from which a new phase can grow. Deposited atoms often begin a film by forming stable surface clusters.
Semiconductor device fabrication: The sequence of processes used to make integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices. Deposited conductors, insulators, and semiconductors form essential device layers.
Molecular beam epitaxy: A high-vacuum deposition method that directs beams of atoms or molecules onto a crystalline substrate. It offers precise epitaxial growth but requires specialized high-vacuum equipment.
Chemical vapor deposition: A process in which gaseous precursors react or decompose at a surface to form a solid film. Its surface chemistry builds a film from volatile precursor molecules.
Thin-film growth: The processes by which deposited material forms and develops a film on a surface. It describes the surface evolution shared by different deposition methods.
Optical coating: A thin material layer designed to alter how a surface reflects or transmits light. Layer thickness and refractive index tune reflection and transmission.
Thermal evaporation: A physical vapor deposition method that heats a source until its material evaporates and condenses on a substrate. It is a comparatively simple vapor method, though coverage can be directional.
Atomic layer deposition: A vapor-phase process that deposits material through sequential, self-limiting surface reactions. Its reaction cycles control thickness at near-atomic scale.
Substrate (materials science): A supporting material on or within which another material is deposited or formed. Its composition and surface condition shape film adhesion and growth.

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