This book provides a clear and understandable text for users anddevelopers of advanced engineered materials, particularly in thearea of thin films, and addresses fundamentals of modifying theoptical, electrical, photo-electric, triboligical, and corrosionresistance of solid surfaces and adding functionality to solids byengineering their surface, structure, and electronic, magnetic andoptical structure. Thin film applications are emphasized. Throughthe inclusion of multiple clear examples of the technologies, howto use them,and the synthesis processes involved, the reader willgain a deep understanding of the purpose, goals, and methodology ofsurface engineering and engineered materials.
Virtually every advance in thin film, energy, medical,tribological materials technologies has resulted from surfaceengineering and engineered materials. Surface engineering involvesstructures and compositions not found naturally in solids and isused to modify the surface properties of solids and involvesapplication of thin film coatings, surface functionalization andactivation, and plasma treatment. Engineered materials are thefuture of thin film technology. Engineered structures such assuperlattices, nanolaminates, nanotubes, nanocomposites, smartmaterials, photonic bandgap materials, metamaterials, molecularlydoped polymers and structured materials all have the capacity toexpand and increase the functionality of thin films and coatingsused in a variety of applications and provide new applications. Newadvanced deposition processes and hybrid processes are being usedand developed to deposit advanced thin film materials andstructures not possible with conventional techniques a decade ago.Properties can now be engineered into thin films that achieveperformance not possible a decade ago.