Industrial Applications of Atomic Layer Deposition

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology. While the development of ALD was motivated and successfully demonstrated by thin film electroluminescent display production, otherwise the industrial use of ALD remained marginal for more than two decades. Recently the interest toward ALD has increased remarkably and the technique is currently one of the most rapidly developing fields of thin film technology. Major driver for this development has been semiconductor industry, but ALD has found industrial applications also in other areas, like magnetic recording heads, optics and protective coatings. This paper reviews the current application areas of ALD and makes some remarks about new potential applications for ALD.