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Electrically Conductive Films
The most common electrical conductors are metal films. Metal films may be used as "blanket" metalization or can be formed into discrete conductor lines ("stripes") by making the substrate during deposition or by subsequent photolithographic etching processes. Conductor lines are used in hybrid microcircuit technology and in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. Often, the electrical conductors are multi-layer films (stacks) where each layer has a function. For example, the conductor film stack might have the following composition: glass-Ti-Pd-Cu-Au. The titanium (Ti) is the "glue" layer, the palladium (Pd) provides corrosion resistance, the copper (Cu) is an electrical conductor, and the gold (Au) provides corrosion protection. Deposited metal conductors in "vias" are used in establishing electrical contacts between different layers in semiconductor device manufacturing. Blanket metallization is used to provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) shielding on structures such as the plastic cases for cellular phones, electrodes for rigid and flexible capacitor electrodes, and surfaces for radar "chaff".

Metal nitride, carbide, and silicide films generally are electrically conductive (Si3N4 and AlN are important exceptions). In some applications, films of these refractory materials are used to provide diffusion barriers between materials. For example, in semiconductor metallization, aluminum or gold electrode material will diffuse into the silicon during high-temperature processing. An electrically conductive titanium nitride film deposited on the silicon surface before the metal electrode is deposited will prevent the diffusion. Generating stable, compounds is an important and aspect of semiconductor device fabrication. Metal nitrides such as tantalum nitride (TaN) are used as thin film resistor materials. Non-transparent electrically conductive oxides such as chromium trioxide (Cr2O3), lead oxide (PbO), and ruthenium oxygen (RuO) are used as electrodes in high-temperature oxidizing atmospheres.*

Optical Films
Optical films, usually multilayer films ("stacks"), are films that affect the optical transmission or reflection of a surface. They are generally alternating layers of materials having high germanium (GE), Si, TiO2, zirconium dixoide (ZRO2), SiO, cerium dioxide (Ce)2), and low magnesium fluoride (MgF2), SiO2 indices of refraction. A major application is the antireflection (AR) coatings on lenses. Optical film stacks can be used as optical filters. Neutral density or gray filters reduce the light intensity for all wavelengths: broadband filters affect the transmission of radiation over a wide wavelength range, while narrow or monochromatic filters affect transmission over a very narrow wavelength region. An example of a broadband filter is an "edge filter" that "cuts off" the ultraviolet (UV) emitted by a mercury vapor lamp. Examples of narrow-band filters are the color filters used in photography and in projectors.*

*. Mattox, Donald. "Applications of Vacuum Coating". SVC. 29 Dec. 2003. Date of Access (09 May 2005)

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