Physical Methods for Synthesis and Thin-Film Deposition

The synthesis of nanomaterials is an active academic and, more particularly, applied research in nanotechnology. The desirable properties of nanomaterials make them promising in various sizes, such as in exploring new frontiers of chemistry and solid-state physics. Improvements in nanomaterials and thin-film deposition methods eventually have empowered diverse technological innovations in areas ranging from magnetic recording media, semiconductor devices, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), optical layers, hard coatings on cutting tools to energy harvest materials (i.e., thin-film photovoltaics) and energy storage (i.e., batteries, supercapacitors) devices. The crucial issue for nanomaterials and thin-film applications depends on their thickness, morphology, and stability. The morphology and stability of thin films strongly hinge on the deposition techniques employed. In this chapter, we discuss some physical methods for thin-film deposition. The different bottom-up and top-down approaches used for the fabrication of thin films will be presented. The bottom-up routes like physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are beneficial for fabricating high-quality thin films. In this chapter, we shall focus on the hotwire chemical vapor deposition (HW-CVD) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) methods to fabric high-quality thin films.