This book is a comprehensive overview of the major important areas of ceramic thin films and coatings. Twenty-one widely respected researchers survey the range of applications of ceramic films and coatings and the techniques used to prepare and characterize them. The book is directed toward potential users of the technology and will also provide a broad update for experts in the field. Ceramic films and coatings are active fields of research and widely used areas of technology. The relatively high hardness and inertness of ceramic materials make ceramic coatings of interest for protection of substrate materials against corrosion, oxidation and wear resistance. The electronic and optical properties of ceramics make these films and coatings important to many electronic and optical devices. The book presents a series of reviews of many of the most active and technically important areas of ceramic films and coatings. It is introduced by an overview of the uses and methods of preparation of ceramic films and coatings. Topics then surveyed include synthetic diamond thin films, high T(subscript c) superconducting films, sol-gel films, protective films for cutting tools, optical films, and electronic films. Also covered are recent advances in improving wear resistance by ion implantation, in providing corrosion resistance by enameling, and in providing thermal protection with plasma sprayed coatings. Major characterization techniques and their capabilities and limitations are also treated.