Electrical characteristics of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ films using the sol-gel method

Dielectric films have been prepared by the electrophoretic method from metal alkoxide solutions. The film formation process by hydrolysis of metal alkoxide/alcohol solutions consisted of 3 main stages: preparation of stable organosols with monodisperse particles; electrophoretic deposition; and dehydration of gel, which was formed after electrophoretic deposition on the stainless steel substrates. The authors investigated the influence of sol age on the quality of the films. It was also observed that internal structural variations in organosols significantly alter the sintering behavior of oxide films and affect their subsequent crystalline transformation. The formation properties of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ thin amorphous films and films armoured by "whiskers" are discussed.