Influence of the Deposition Parameters on the Characteristics of Aerosol-Gel Deposited Thin Films

The aerosol-gel process is a thin film deposition process based on the sol-gel polymerisation of a liquid film deposited from an ultrasonically sprayed aerosol. This process offers an attractive alternative for the deposition of sol-gel thin films. The effects of the aerosol deposition route on the film characteristics have been investigated with regard to sol-gel chemistry. TEOS solutions have been studied by viscosimetry and FTIR spectroscopy using an ATR device. Silica xerogel coatings have been studied by transmission FTIR and optical microscopy. Film morphology and uniformity depend closely on the aerosol deposition conditions. The film growth is controlled by a droplet coalescence surface phenomenon.