Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Methods for Synthesis of Thin Films: A Comparative Study

In the present comparative study, the important physical vapor deposition methods of thin films viz., thermal evaporation, electron beam evaporation, molecular beam epitaxy evaporation, activated reactive evaporation, ion plating and pulsed laser deposition were studied. In this study we have discussed about deposition principle, working process of physical vapor deposition, their significance in the whole process of a making a substrate deposition or single wafer, advantages, disadvantages and various applications of these deposition methods. In order to optimize the desired film thickness and characteristics, good understanding of the deposition methods and process is necessary. These physical vapor depositions methods can be found in the fabrication and processing technology industries. They are mostly used for creating metalized substrates or wafers. They have their own unique way of depositing materials on the substrates or wafers and thus having their own advantages, disadvantages and limitations in their applications.