A multitude of parameters is experimentally (and theoretically) accessible, including the atomic structure of the interface to the substrate, important for electronic defects and adhesion, morphology and phase formation, which have to be looked upon separately. As long as no single crystalline films or amorphous films are obtained, the texture, i.e., the distribution of crystallographic orientations of a polycrystalline film, can be influenced by the ion bombardment during deposition, as well as the intrinsic mechanical stress.