Thin films: technology, physics and applications I

Students will get practically oriented information about technology of thin films including different methods of deposition of thin films like magnetron sputtering, thermal evaporation, pulsed laser ablation, about basics of vacuum technology, and about mechanisms of growth of thin films of different materials at different conditions.

Patterning methods (photo- and e-beam lithography, reactive ion etching, ion milling, and lift-off techniques) suitable for nanometer scale features of electronic devices will be considered in details.

Experimental methods of characterization of material, geometrical, optical, physical, superconducting, electron and phonon properties of thin films, nanostructures made of these films, and devices based on these nanostructures will be discussed.

Consideration of technology and physics of thin film structures will be done on example of development of three types of fast and sensitive detectors of electro-magnetic radiation for applications in optical and THz spectral ranges: superconducting nanowire single-photon detector, hot-electron bolometer, and YBCO ps-fast detector of synchrotron emission. Dependence of detector’s performance on their fabrication condition will be analyzed in frame of physical models which describe response mechanisms of the detectors to absorbed radiation.

Practical actualization of the knowledge is possible in frame of Praktikum Nanoelektronik (LVN 23669).