Distance Learning Self-Paced Tutorial
Fundamentals of Vapor Deposition
...dedicated to the memory of Nathaniel H. Sugerman

Next offering: Summer 2018 (exact dates to be determined)

On-line tutorials offer the opportunity to attend classes at your own convenience, at any time, and in any place. In an on-line tutorial the instructor and tutorial registrants are interconnected through a computer network. Using the Internet, you can at any time receive instruction, compose and submit assignments, ask questions of the instructor and other registrants, discuss issues, and actively participate in the class from your home, your office, or the nearest campus computer laboratory.

The opportunity to participate in this Learning Program is co-sponsored by the University of Delaware and the Society of Vacuum Coaters, through the distance learning system–UD Online. This new approach to teaching and learning is student-centered. It eliminates the constraints of time and location that other education programs normally place on tutorial registrants. Registrants who complete the tutorial receive Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The program emphasizes innovative instruction and learning. The instructor and tutorial registrants can leverage the wealth of resources available through the Internet to support this instruction.

Tutorial Description:
This Fundamentals of Vapor Deposition tutorial will introduce students to essential concepts involved in using vapor deposition techniques to create thin film materials. Students will be exposed to core concepts of the most common types of vapor deposition technologies. In addition, topics in nucleation and growth of films, kinetics of vapor deposition of films, and failure mechanisms of films will be presented in order to develop an understanding of the connection between vapor deposition parameters and thin film properties. The information presented in the tutorial will be useful for professionals who are new to the field of vapor deposition as well as for practitioners already in the field of vapor deposition who want to learn more about vapor deposition technology related to their field of expertise. No prior formal training in vapor deposition technologies is required for students to benefit from the tutorial.

Tutorial Content:

    • Thermal evaporation

    • Kinetics of vapor deposition

    • Sputtering

    • Nucleation and growth of thin films

    • Chemical vapor deposition

    • Failure mechanisms of thin films

    • Molecular beam epitaxy 

The material presented in the tutorial is equivalent to the amount of information covered in one, eight-hour duration "live" tutorial. Registered students will receive a CD that contains the tutorial content. Students are permitted to retain the CD following the tutorial. Students can complete the tutorial at their own pace over a designated two-week long period. During this time, students will be able to contact the instructor privately via E-mail with questions. Students also will be able to participate in group discussions of questions on line. Each unit (listed above) will have a discussion page on which students can post questions specific to the content in that unit. The instructor will answer the posted questions daily, and students are welcome to participate in the discussion of topics raised on the discussion pages by other students. In order to complete the tutorial, the instructor will ask each student to provide a short answer essay (500 words or less) to a question based on practical applications involving vapor deposition. The student may pick one question to answer from a list of several questions.

Tutorial Materials: CD-ROM titled, "Interfacial Systems Engineering Vapor Deposition," published by WESEECO™

Fees: $495 ; Late Registration (after October 29, 2016): $575. 
Add $75 for shipping outside the U.S. and Canada. 
Discount of $50/registrant when 5 or more register from the same organization.

Later registrations accepted pending space and availability of materials.

Instructor: S. Ismat Shah, University of Delaware

Professor Shah received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He worked for Dupont Company for 12 years before joining the University of Delaware. He has a joint appointment in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Physics and Astronomy. He worked as the Manager of the Nanostructured Materials Program at the Fraunhofer Center, Delaware. Professor Shah has been involved with thin films and nano-structured materials for more than 20 years. He has over 80 publications and 6 patents in the area of thin films and nanostructures. His expertise includes PVD and CVD processes, photocatalysis, electronic materials, magnetic materials, etc.

Course Registration: Register using the On-line Registration Form

NOTE: The tutorial on the CD is not compatible with Mac interface.

Payment can also be made by check, payable to the University of Delaware, and sent with a paper version of the On-line Registration form to:
Professional Engineering Outreach
University of Delaware
111 South Main Street
Newark, DE 19716-3101 USA

University of Delaware/ College of Engineering
Professional Engineering Outreach
Director: Kathy Werrell
Administrative Assistant: Nadine Neiger
Phone: 302/831-8302
Fax: 302/831-1468