ECE 49595 - Introduction to Thin Film Science and Technology

Course Details

Lecture Hours: 3 Credits: 3

Counts as:

  • EE Elective
  • CMPE Selective - Special Content

Experimental Course Offered:

Spring 2017, Spring 2018

Catalog Description:

Thin film science and technology have gone through a thorough development which results in numerous new devices (e.g., Light Emitting Diodes (LED), fuel cell and solar cell) and new materials with fundamentally new properties. Thin film research shares the knowledge from multi-disciplines (e.g., materials science, chemistry, solid state physics, mechanics and etc.) This undergraduate course is designed as an introductory class for those students who are interested in thin film fundamentals and processing for various industrial applications. A newly developed model called ???The Art of Laying Apples??? will be used throughout the course for explaining thin film concepts. Topics include, but are not limited to, fundamentals on crystal structures and defects in thin films, the basic nucleation and growth mechanisms of thin films (growth models, lattice matching epitaxy and domain matching epitaxy), thin film processing techniques (CVD, MOCVD, MBE, PLD, Laser-MBE, sputtering, and evaporation etc.), thin film growth instrumentation aspect (energy source, chamber configurations, vacuum systems and growth controllers), and several advanced topics related to electrical and optical devices. Lab or tour session(s) will be provided to promote teaching and learning. The following table provides a tentative guideline for course subjects.

Required Text(s):

  1. Materials Science of Thin Films: Deposition and Structure , 2nd Edition , M. Ohring , 2001 , ISBN No. 9780125249751

Recommended Text(s):

  1. Electronic Thin Film Science for Electrical Engineers and Materials Scientists , K-N Tu, J. W. Mayer and L. C. Feldman, , 1992
  2. Elements of X-ray Diffraction , 2nd Edition , B. D. Cullity , 1978
  3. Introduction to Dislocations , 4th Edition , D. Hull and D. J. Bacon , 2001

Lecture Outline:

Period Lecture Topics
1 Overview of thin film technology Introduction to the Apple Model
2 Crystal structures of thin films
3 Defects in thin films (vacancies and interstitials, dislocations, grain boundaries etc.) Nanocrystalline, polycrystalline and epitaxial thin films
4 Diffusion
5 Surface, thin film nucleation and growth models (2D, 3D, and 2D-3D combination)
6 Epitaxy Homoepitaxy and heteroepitaxy; Lattice matching epitaxy and domain matching epitaxy; Superlattice structures and quantum wells
7 Vacuum Science and Technology
8 Thin film growth techniques (Physical Vapor Deposition- Sputtering, MBE, Laser MBE, PLD and E-bean evaporation) (HW4) Thin Film Lab Sessions (thin film deposition and property measurements)
9 Thin film growth techniques (Chemical Vapor Deposition- CVD, PECVD, MOCVD)
10 Term paper presentations
11 Special topics in thin films for electrical and optical devices (LED), Special topics in thin films for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Solar Cells and other applications
12 Final review and Q&A