ABSTRACT
In this chapter, an overview on thin film growth, structure, and properties is provided. A brief presentation is provided on market and trends in thin films, theory of thin films, theory of sputtering, and common classifications of thin film deposition techniques. The chapter also describes some of the general parameters influencing the sputtering process of thin film generation and some literature are cited. The science of sputtering, methods of sputtering, and methods of preparing patterned thin film structures through sputtering are also described. The readers will find this chapter very important on general trends and basics of the subject. It is deduced that the focus of quality assurance is on the enhancement of parameter–property combinations and some examples are cited from published literature.
