Functionalization of surfaces is an important task for nanotechnology to add specially designed physico-chemical properties to
materials. Besides chemical modification of surfaces, physical adaptations gain increasing interest. Thus, understanding the influences of film
deposition on surface topography formation is the basis for future developments. For physical or chemical vapour deposited (PVD, CVD)
films, structure zone models were developed, clearly showing the influences of temperature and vapour energy and, thus, surface and bulk
di?usion on film structures based on four di?erent structure zones. Generally, similar zones are also found in PVD coatings on polymeric
substrates; However, due to restrictions in coating temperatures due to the thermal resistance of most polymers, the coating temperature is
restricted to mostly 50°C, excluding thermal activation of at least surface di?usion of inorganic materials (metals and their nitrides, oxides,
carbides, etc.) and resulting in columnar growth with dome-shaped column tops. Additionally, the high difference in mechanical properties
between "stiff" inorganic coatings and "flexible" polymers implicates stress-induced growth phenomena, resulting in wrinkling, cracking and
finally the formation of a superseding structure, depending on substrate and film materials and the vapour energy of the deposition method.
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