Considering the growth rate in both the demand for thin films and the capability to fabricate them over the past 40 years, it is a daunting task to predict the future of thin film technology, even over the next decade. Apart from Zn evaporation for paper capacitors, the main application of thin films for telecommunications prior to 1960 were electroplated Au relay contacts. Sputtering Ta based resistors and capacitors for tone touch telephone frequency generators was the first of a new range of applicatio ns. Today, there are many very demanding applications in integrated circuits and optical components for communication systems; e.g wavelength separation in high speed fiber systems utilizes over 100 oxide layers in interference coatings with a precision of better than 0.1%. The number of deposition methods has greatly increased in the past 40 years; a whole range of techniques involving combinations of physical, chemical and plasma processes are now used to deposit films for specialized applications. In parallel, sophisticated analytical techniques have provided better understanding of the composition and structure of films and the growth processes. Despite these advances, the requirements for control of films remains ahead of the capability and even better methods are required. Will improvements in PVD or CVD methods meet the requirements or will new techniques provide the high yield, high precision processes which are required?