2173573 – Thin Films – Preparation, Structure, Thermodynamics

This lecture addresses the foundations of thin film preparation, microstructure and specific thermodynamic properties. The students know basics of UHV (Ultra-High-Vacuum) techniques and basic methods to characterize physical and mechanical properties of thin films. They know different methods of thin film preparation und can denominate their respective pros and cons. The students are familiar with the different nucleation and growth modi and with the epitaxy of thin films with the substrate, and they can denominate and classify the resulting microstructures of the films. The students can describe and motivate principal differences in the physical properties of bulk materials and thin films. They know how these differences affect the stability of thermodynamic phases of alloys and how this can be utilized to tune thin film properties.