Thin film technology, 5 credits

Tunnfilmsteknik

Course information

Language of instruction: English
Course period: Period 1, VT 2024
Campus teaching or online teaching: On campus, online participation may be possible after previous agreement

Recommended prerequisites

Basic knowledge in physics/chemistry is necessary. Elements of materials science are beneficial.

Learning outcomes

The course provides introduction into synthesis of thin film materials and coatings. Possible applications include thin films for systems and devices, such as transistors, solar cells, sensors, or batteries. The aim is to provide understanding of the different deposition techniques and the relation between growth conditions and material properties, rather than describe detailed technology implementation.
After the course, the participants are expected to be able to:

• Identify the most important growth conditions for a material/application in question
• Compare available deposition techniques and select the most suitable one
• Device a deposition process
• Estimate deposition conditions based on the state-of-the-art knowledge
• Determine possible failure sources and modify the experiments
• Apply the knowledge outside own research field, for instance in industrial context

Learning outcomes for doctoral degree

Course contents

Deposition of thin films by physical (PVD) and chemical (CVD and ALD) techniques with focus on the fundamental physical and chemical processes. A brief overview of solgel and electrochemical deposition.

Main topics covered in the course are: Evaporation, sputtering, ion-plating as well as CVD and ALD. Plasma technologies for thin films. Effect of the substrate on the film growth and techniques for surface modification. Models for nucleation and film growth. Morphology and texture and their impact on material properties. Solgel, electrochemical deposition. Examples of applications of thin film materials and deposition technologies

Instruction

Combination of standard lectures and seminars: Each module is introduced in a lecture with participants presenting specific topics during a follow up seminar. Main focus lies on the theoretical principles, only a brief overview of the practical implementation is given. Lab demonstrations are also provided. Elements of physics, chemistry, and technology are required and four lecturers from two departments contribute to the course.
Given the varied background of the students, the focus is on active learning facilitated by a combination of traditional lectures and seminars, where the participant prepare answers to a set of questions that are discussed during the seminar. The teachers are actively present during the seminars, steer the discussion and make sure that all participants are active. The activity is graded and active involvement is required to pass the course.
While there is no limit on the number of participants in the lectures, the seminars are difficult with groups larger than 10 persons. Therefore, we propose to limit the seminar size to 10 persons and, if necessary, divide the participants in two groups thus increasing the capacity to 20 participants.
There is a possibility given for a practical demonstration of thin film processes at Myfab Uppsala. This part of the course is adjusted based on the participants profile.

Assessment

Presentations and assignments during the course, Final interview (oral examination).

Course examiner

doc Tomas Kubart, tomas.kubart@angstrom.uu.se
2nd examiner doc Tobias Törndahl, Tobias.Torndahl@angstrom.uu.se

Department with main responsibility

Elektroteknik

Contact person

Tomas Kubart, tomas.kubart@angstrom.uu.se

Application

Submit the application for admission to: Tomas Kubart, tomas.kubart@angstrom.uu.se