Thin films and coatings are utilized for a broad range of applications to provide specific performance characteristics to the products being developed. Each thin film and coating system has its own set of challenges in terms of materials and process development, integration, and materials characterization.
Ultra-thin films utilized in magnetic storage media, semiconductor or photonic devices require accurate quantitative analysis of their structural, mechanical and tribological properties to enhance their performance and guide the process development for later mass production.
Thicker coatings are used for corrosion-protective, wear-resistant or hardened surfaces. They require localized property measurements to be able to understand and engineer the next level of performance.