ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the key enabling technologies of the Industry 4.0, and their potential impacts on thin film deposition. Artificial intelligence (AI) and other Industry 4.0 technologies have been a game changer in upgrading the critical metrics of manufacturing industries. A swift shift from the old nomadic lifestyle was significantly influenced by agricultural and industrial revolution. The birth of steam engine in the first revolution enhanced the railway transportation development which facilitated easy movement of raw materials from place to place, factory to factory, thus boosting production speed and capacity. According to its high-tech strategy 2020, the German Federal Government first introduced “Industry 4.0” at its Hannover Fair in 2011 with a goal to work at a higher level of automation, achieving a higher level of operational productivity and efficiency by connecting the “real” and “virtual” worlds.
