Applications of Transmission Electron Microscopy Technique to Thin Film Studies: Review

Abstract

There are two common deposition methods, namely chemical deposition method and physical deposition technique could be used to produce thin films. The structure, morphology, optical, compositional and electrical properties of the obtained films were studied using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible spectrophotometer, x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray analysis, scanning probe microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy technique was used to investigate the crystal structure, crystal orientation, grain size and phase of crystalline materials. In this work, the preparation of thin films using various types of deposition methods was reported. In addition, the properties of the obtained films were studied using transmission electron microscopy technique based on selected literature review. Experimental results confirmed that film deposition process can strongly affect the crystal structure, crystallite size and phase of crystalline.