Review of thin film technology in automobile industry

A great amount of effort has been devoted to the constant improvement of such basic automobile performance as drivability, safety and environmental protection. As a result, the total combination of various technologies has made it possible to produce safer and more comfortable automobiles. Among these technologies, surface and thin film techniques are mainly concerned with sensors, optics, electronics aud surface modification. This article first describes a new concept of thin film processing in materials synthesis for low dimensional thin films based on particle-surface interaction during deposition. Some examples of practical applications of various thin films to automobiles are then given. These include (1) a thin film polarizers of obliquely codeposited thin films; (2) a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors for speed sensors; and (3) structural and optical properties of organic/inorganic superlattices.