GLASS AND CERAMIC THIN-FILMS DEPOSITED BY AN ULTRASONICALLY ASSISTED SOL-GEL TECHNIQUE

SiO2 and TiO2 thin films have been deposited by sol-gel process based on the polymerization on a substrate of an alkoxide aerosol. The aerosol is produced by ultrasonic atomization of an alcoholic source solution and transported by a carrier gas onto the substrate to be coated. The process consists in a continuous growth of the polymer film and allows a precise control of the experimental procedure. Suitable pulverizable source solutions have been adapted to the weakly reactive silicon precursors and the highly reactive titanium precursors. The oxide films are obtained after annealing the as-deposited polymer films. The experimental procedure is detailed in this paper and film properties are discussed regarding the experimental conditions. Source solution and film properties have been studied by Raman and Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, ellipsometry and viscosity measurement.