Micromanufacturing Engineering and Technology

Chapter 15 Polymer Thin Films – Processes, Parameters and Property Control

Bertrand Fillon

Introduction

Over the last 10 years, the use of polymer thin films has increased significantly in various domains of application: in traditional industries (e.g. papers and metal strips), in the automotive industry, in packaging, etc. Moreover, emerging markets such as consumer electronics and photovoltaic energy use polymer thin films also. This growth has been driven mainly by important advances in the properties of polymer thin films (better barrier properties (water, oxygen, etc.), wear resistance, optical properties, etc.) and a much more extensive range of applications (solvent-based coatings, water-based coatings, plasma deposition, emulsions, ...