Professor Des Gibson University of West of Scotland
Abstract: Review of plasma ion assisted deposition of functional thin films and associated applications
Significant advances in functional thin films have been achieved through use of plasma ion assist in vacuum deposition of functional thin films, driven by various demanding applications. Progress depends on understanding how use of plasma ion bombardment during film deposition relates to growth mechanisms that control the film micro structure, interfaces and resulting optical, mechanical and other functional characteristics of the resulting films. This paper presents important considerations in design of plasma sources to achieve required ion energy, neutralisation, reactivity, spatial distribution and operating frequency for control of micro structure and plasma source incorporation into thin film deposition systems. An overview of the optimized properties of films prepared by plasma assisted deposition is provided, together with application examples including durable infrared optical coatings, high precision mirror coatings for gravitational wave detection, piezoelectric thin films for wearable medical devices and optical coatings for non-dispersive infrared gas sensor applications.