edited by F C Matacotta (International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy & Cosiglio Nazionale delle Rícerche - ISM, Italy) & G Ottaviani (Università di Modena, Italy)

This book brings together detailed discussions by leading experts on the various innovative aspects of thin films growth, deposition and characterization techniques, and new thin film materials and devices. It addresses through the different viewpoints of the contributors, the major problem of thin films science - the relation between the energy of the condensing species and the resulting properties of the films. Some of the issues considered include energetic condensation, bombardment stabilization, pulsed electron beam ablation, orientation and self-organization of organic, ferroelectric and nanoparticle thin films. Several chapters focus on applications such as the recent developments in organic optoelectronics, large area electronic technology and superconducting thin film devices.

• Growth Mechanisms of Polycrystalline Thin Films (P B Barna & M Adamik)
• Heteroepitaxy (H von Känel et al.)
• Fundamental Properties and Developments of Metallic and Semiconducting Nanoparticles (A Stella et al.)
• Thin Film Deposition by Means of Pulsed Electron Beam Ablation (G Müller et al.)
• Bombardment Stabilization of Cubic Boron Nitride (L B Hackenberger et al.)
• Orientation-Controlled Organic Thin Films (H Yanagi)
• Applications of Spectroscopic Ellipsometry to Thin Film Characterisation (B Drévillon)
• XRD Line Broadening and Texture of Thin Films (P Scardi)
• The SQUID Magnetometer: An Application of Thin-Film Superconductors (M S Colclough)
• Thin Films for Large Area Electronics (D Pribat et al.)