What is

Thin Film Deposition?

Ms. Crystal J. Woods
Emmett J. Conrad STEM Academy High School
Dallas, TX
 Dr. Haiyan Wang, Assistant
Professor, Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Education
Ph.D., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 2002
M.S., Institute of Metal Research, Shenyang, China, 1999
B.S., Nanchang University, Nanchang, China, 1998
Previous Appointments
Jan.05-Dec.05 - Technical Staff Member, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Jan.03-Dec.04 - Director Funded Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Research Interests
Nanostructured nitride and oxide thin film heterostructures for microelectronics, optoelectronics,
magnetic, high temperature superconductors, solid oxide fuel cells, radiation tolerance and
structural applications;
High temperature superconductors: coated superconductor scale-up and architectures; flux-pinning
mechanisms of nanoparticles and defects
Microstructural characterizations with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM,
Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and XRD.
Patents
8 patents in the areas of thin film architecture and high temperature superconductors
Selected journal publications (105 journal articles and 70 conference proceedings and
presentations by January 2008)
H. Wang, R. Araujo J.G. Swadener, Yongqiang Wang, X. Zhang, E. G. Fu and T. Cagin Ion
Irradiation Effects in Nanocrystalline TiN Coatings, Nuclear Instruments
E 3 Research Topic: Thin
Film Deposition
(Growth) w/ Dr. Wang Dr. Haiyan Wang,
Assistant Professor,
Electrical and
Computer
Engineering, TAMU
David Mortimer,
Physics Teacher, Del
Rio High School
Crystal J. Woods,
Algebra Teacher,
Emmett J. Conrad
STEM Academy High
School
Use of Thin Film
Deposition Thin Film Growth or Deposition: It is a thin
layer of coating on a substrate or template.
It serves one or multiple physical purposes
including protection, decoration,
conducting, reflection, data storage,
insulation, etc.
Examples: Colorful coatings on cars,
golden watches and many others;
Corrosion resistive coatings and superhard
coatings (petroleum industry, chemical
factories, etc.);
Semiconductor industry (Pentium
processors, microchips, memories, iPod,
etc.);
Sunscreen : a protective coating on your
skin.
 Thin Film: How does it
grow?
Kinetic Energy of molecules impact the growth of Thin Film.
Pressure affects the momentum of the molecules.
The energy of the molecules impacts how the molecules find their way to the target,
so they can form layers.
The following Parameters will result in a desired epitaxial layer (organized, carefully
placed, high quality layer of thin film):
Temperature
Pressure
Laser Energy
Laser Frequency
Type of material (Metals)
Type of Substrate (Base layer:
Metal or Ceramic)
 Understanding Thin Film
Growth
Dr. Wang explains thin film
growth as laying of apples
A high quality thin film growth
must be layered in an
organized pattern. Molecules
must be laid on the target in
non-disruptive pattern.
No traffic jams, no rush hour
free flowing traffic.
High Quality
Growth:

Ordered foundation
Same size
Same pattern
Right time
Right condition
Understanding Thin Film
Growth
Atoms must be able to move
around on the substrate until they
find the right spot. This results in
the growth layer.
Understanding Thin Film Growth
Congruency is a key component of thin film growth.
Similar shapes and/or congruent shapes prevents gaps
or defects in growth layers.
Deposition: What takes place inside
Chamber?
Deposition: What takes place
inside Chamber?
Summer Research: My Exposure of Thin
Film

Joon Hwan Lee, Ph.D. Candidate

Research: Transmittance of Light within Thin Film
Tools: Spectrophometer, measures transparency of material using wavelengths.
Wavelengths are used to determine absorption of life.
Focus: Compare/Contrast Transmittance when Parameters have been altered
Summer Research: My Exposure of Thin
Film
Jie (Joyce) Wang, Ph.D. Candidate
Research: High Temperature Superconductor
Tools: Transmission Electron Microscopy, JEOL JEM-2010 (TEM)
Focus: Compare/Contrast Attachment Layer of Growth when temperature has
been changed . The key is to find nice layers of growth.
Summer Research: My Exposure of Thin
Film

Zhenxing Bi, Ph.D. Candidate

Research: Growth of Vertical Patterns of Thin Film
Tools: Transmission Electron Microscopy, JEOL JEM-2010 (TEM)
Focus: Compare/Contrast Thickness and/or Mircostructural Changes when
Parameters have been changed. Goal to create high quality vertical
patterns.
My experience of Thin Film Research

Designing a high quality thin film growth that

demonstrates an organized pattern of the same and/or
similar shape with various parameters.
Continue exploring results when different parameters of
the thin film process have been changed.
Ms. Woods @ TAMUs E3 Summer E3 Summer Research
Research Program Program

High Quality Education

 Thin Film vs. Algebra
Patterns producing:

High Quality thin film growth Equations

Linear Functions
Ordered foundation
Same size Exponential Functions
Same pattern
Right time Scatter Plots
Right condition Quadratic Functions
Factoring
 Examples of Patterns in
Algebra

The powers of 11 also form a sequence:

110 = 1
111 = 11
112 = 121
113 = 1331
114 = 14641
115 = 161051
116 = 1771561
117 = 19487171
Examples of Patterns in
Algebra
 Using Patterns of Tiles with
Quadratic Functions and
Factoring
Data Used to create
Functions

Exponential
Linear Functions
Functions
Kudos! to my wonderful
Thin Film Research
Team
Big Thanks to the
Ick-Chan Kim, National Science
Roy Araujo,
Ph.D.
Jongsik Yoon, Ph.D. Ph.D. Candidate Foundation!
Candidate
Candidate

Joon Hwan Harrison Tsai,

Lee, MS MS Candidate
Candidate
Jie (Joyce) Zhenxing Bi,
Wang, Ph.D. Sungmee Cho,
Ph.D. Candidate
Candidate Ph.D Candidate

Dr. Haiyan Wang