The influence of processing variables on physical properties of sol-gel derived TiO2 films

The nature of films deposited using sol-gel techniques depends upon the molecular structure of the solution, which is controlled by solution chemical equilibria and reaction kinetics. The influence of solution chemistry, solution reaction time, and thermal processing on the resulting phase of titania sol-gel films have been examined. Raman spectroscopy has been used to characterize the phase, phase homogeneity, and inherent stress in the films. An increased solution reaction time prior to film deposition was found to stabilize an amorphous TiO sub 2 phase to temperatures approaching 490 C. In addition, in situ time-resolved Raman spectroscopy has been used to examine the film crystallization process.