thin film

noun

Definition of thin film

: a very thin layer of a substance on a supporting material especially : a coating (as of a semiconductor) that is deposited in a layer one atom or one molecule thick

Examples of thin film in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The copper in the molten material formed a thin film on the surface of the solid. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "New material could up efficiency of concentrated solar power," 19 Oct. 2018 Gold and silver, among other metals, are already known to do so and can be made in thin films. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "The material science of building a light sail to take us to Alpha Centauri," 7 May 2018 Simply apply a thin film of guitar polish on a microfiber cloth and wipe down your guitar body, your hardware, the back of the neck, and your headstock. — Henry Robertson, Popular Mechanics, "How to Set Up a Guitar And Make It Your Own," 7 Dec. 2018 All of that will be controlled from a color dash screen (TFT, or thin film transistor liquid crystal display, also similar to what Ducati uses). — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, "The Harley-Davidson LiveWire Electric Motorcycle Goes Public," 6 Nov. 2018 Pour a thin film of olive oil into a large frying pan over medium-high heat. — Jessica Battilana, San Francisco Chronicle, "Repertoire: Asparagus With Walnut Crema and Fried Eggs," 2 May 2018 Recent tests suggest that the thin film would reflect up to 30 percent of UV light falling upon the water’s surface, helping keep the water at just the right temperature for the reef below. — Amanda Campanaro /, NBC News, "Can this ultra-thin 'sunscreen' save the world's largest coral reef?," 5 Apr. 2018 His favorite tool in this effort is yuba, the thin film that forms on the top of boiling soy milk. — Sarah Bennett, latimes.com, "O.C.-based vegan Mexican pop-ups are having a moment right now," 5 Apr. 2018 The thin film is meant to be like an umbrella that partially blocks out the sun. — Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, "Floating Sunscreen-Like Film Could Protect the Great Barrier Reef," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thin film.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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thin-boiling starch

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The first known use of thin film was in 1944

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