材料工程係可將新穎技術與功能引入製程及產品的重點科技，尤其透過所謂的表面改質技術，表面科學和功能性界面更可展現材料的特殊性質。本文對目前奈米硬質薄膜領域內最有潛力的奈米複合薄膜及奈米硬質薄膜與其相關製程技術做重點式的介紹。為了因應未來硬質薄膜走向以及兼顧硬度與韌性並重的趨勢，對相關的檢測技術亦做了一扼要性的討論。如能更精確地控制薄膜的製程，發揮其本質特性，奈米硬質薄膜趨向多功能性鍍膜的願景將指日可待。

Materials engineering is regarded as a key technology to integrate novel functionality into products and processes.Especially, surface science and functional interfaces via the so-called surface modifi cation exhibit specifi c materialcharacteristics. In this paper, popular nanocomposite and nanomultilayer hard coatings and their deposition methodswill be focused. To aim at the target that sufficient hardness and toughness should simultaneously be present incoatings, appropriate testing methodology will also be introduced. It is believed that by precisely controlling theintrinsic properties, coating with specially desired functionality can be pursued in the near future.