Coating structure and morphology – link between preparation and properties

Besides the chemical composition, the structure basically determines all properties of thin films and coatings. In this sense, structure means the morphology, crystallite size, texture, lattice parameter and defects. In order to fabricate tailored coating properties, the effect of the different deposition parameters has to be known, in particular deposition rate, type and degree of ionization of the impinging species, substrate temperature and bias as well as geometrical arrangement and dimensions. After a short description of the fundamentals of nucleation and film growth as well as the present types of structure zone models, examples are given for the influence of deposition parameters on properties of reactively and non–reactively vapor–deposited coatings.