'Thin Film Physics' is a course offered in the B. Tech. programs at School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.
Unit 1
Introduction and preparation of thin film: Difference between thin and thick film. Appreciation of thin film technology in modern era. Deposition technology: Physical methods, chemical methods, other new techniques, vacuum technology: Vacuum pumps & pressure gauges.
Defects in thin film: General concepts, nature of defect, microscopic defect and dislocation. Boundary defects. Defect and energy states - donar acceptor levels, trap and recombination centers, excitons, phonons.
Unit 2
Thin film analysis: Structural studies: XRD and electron diffraction. Surface studies: electron microscopy studies on film (SEM, TEM, AFM) Film composition: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Rutherford Back Scattering spectroscopy (RBS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS).
Properties of thin film: Optical behaviors: transmission, reflection, refractive index, photoconductivity, and photoluminescence.
Unit 3
Electrical behaviors: sheet resistivity, electron mobility and concentration, Hall effect, conduction in MIS structure.
Mechanical behaviors: stress, adhesion, hardness, stiffness.
Applications of thin films in various fields: Antireflection coating, FET, TFT, resistor, thermistor, capacitor, solar cell, and MEMs fabrication of silicon wafer: Introduction. preparation of the silicon wafer media, silicon wafer processing steps.
- K. L. Chopra, “Thin Film Phenomena”, McGraw Hill, New York, 1969
- L. T. Meissel and R. Glang, “Hand book of thin film technology”, McGraw Hill, 1978.
- A. Goswami, “Thin Film Fundamentals“, New Age International, Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, 1996.
- O. S. Heavens "optical Properties of Thin Films" by, Dover Publications, Newyork 1991.
- Milton Ohring “Materials science of thin films deposition and structures”, Academic press, 2006.
- Donald L. Smith “Thin Film deposition principle and Practice”, McGraw Hill international Edition, 1995.
