Thin-film microelectronics

The term `microelectronics¿ embraces a class of electronic circuitry composed of elements integrated into, or onto, a substrate material. The qualification `thin film¿ describes such integrated circuits comprising passive and, more increasingly, active components deposited on to a thin insulating substrate. There is no strict definition of the term thin film, but a useful concept is that films are thin if they are incapable of self-support, and this generally means films of thickness less than 1¿m.