A thin film is a layer of material with a thickness ranging from fractions of a nanometer to several micrometers. Thin films are created through a process called thin-film deposition, which involves depositing a thin layer of material onto a substrate or previously deposited layers. There are different types of thin films, and they can be categorized based on their properties. Some of the most common types of thin films include:

• Optical: Used to create reflective coatings, anti-reflective coatings, solar cells, monitors, waveguides, and optical detector arrays.
• Electrical or electronic: Used to make insulators, conductors, semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and piezoelectric drives.
• Magnetic: Usually used to make memory disks.

Thin films have many commercial applications, including anti-reflection coatings, mirrors, and optical filters. Thin films can also be used to alter or improve the performance of a substrate material. For example, some thin films are transparent, while others are very durable and scratch-resistant. Thin film deposition is an important manufacturing step in the production of many opto-electronic, solid-state, and medical devices and products, including consumer electronics, semiconductor lasers, fiber lasers, LED displays, optical filters, compound semiconductors, precision optics, microscopy & microanalysis sample slides, and medical implants.