'Thin films & coatings' Roadmap - Nano Mahidol

This roadmap does not cover the substrate pre-treatment step (before thin film
deposition/production). According to the experts, substrate pre-treatment is not
essential for many of the materials considered (e.g. carbon, metals). It can, however,
be essential for some. Pre-treatment can cover a range of actions, from simple
cleaning to etching to chemical surface modification, to the use of another thin film to
allow the adhesion of the final, functional thin film. The potential criticality of cleaning
should not be underestimated - a look at the highly elaborate clean rooms used in
the semiconductor industry shows how critical it can be for some processes. The
thinner a coating is, the more important, and difficult, cleaning becomes.
11 Roadmap report on
Thin films and coatings