Properties of Films prepared with Metal Alkoxides

The preparation of $Al_{2}O_{3}-SiO_{2}$ thin films from less than one micron to several tens of microns in thickness had been prepared from metal alkoxide sols. Two methods, dip-withdrawal and electrophoretic deposition, were employed for thin films and sheets formation. The requirements to be satisfied by the solution for preparing uniform and strong films and by the factors affecting thickness and other properties of the films were examined. For the preparation of thin, continuous $Al_{2}O_{3}-SiO_{2}$ films, therefore, metal-organic-derived precursor solutions contained Si and Al in a chemically polymerized form has been developed and produced in a clear liquid state. In the process of applying to substrates, this liquid left a transparent, continuous film that could be converted to crystalline $Al_{2}O_{3}-SiO_{2}$ upon heating to $1000^{\circ}C$. And, a significant change of the film density took place in the crystallization process, thus leading to the strict requirements as to the film thickness, which could survive crystallization.