thin film

noun

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

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

Recent Examples of thin film from the Web

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
Lightly coat a sheet of plastic wrap with a thin film of sunflower (or vegetable) oil, and place it directly over the batter.

— domenica marchetti, chicagotribune.com, "How to make fried Sicilian St. Joseph's Day treat called sfince," 16 Mar. 2018
That explains his signature dessert, called Banksy: a thin film of smoked yogurt and chamomile cream in the shape of the famous street artist (yes, it’s made with a stencil).

— New York Times, "Lake Como for a New Generation of Cool Kids," 28 Dec. 2017
The number of touch-screen liquid-crystal displays using thin film transistors installed in new vehicles globally will grow to 200 million units by 2022, nearly double the number in 2016, according to IHS Markit.

— chester dawson, WSJ, "In Car Makers’ Digital Dash, Little Room for Error," 27 Mar. 2018
Verruckt carried passengers on a raft that cruised atop a thin film of water.

— steve vockrodt, tony rizzo, glenn e. rice and laura bauer, kansascity, "Ex-Schlitterbahn executive charged with manslaughter in 2016 death on water slide | The Kansas City Star," 23 Mar. 2018
This material forms a surface that's compatible with the product of the lithium-oxygen reaction, Li2O2, allowing it to form a thin film over the cathode.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "New lithium-air battery survives hundreds of cycles," 22 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.