A versatile technique for fabricating ceramic thin films on plastics has been proposed. The technique comprises (i) the deposition of a gel film by spin- or dip-coating on a silicon substrate coated beforehand with a release layer, (ii) the firing of the gel film into a ceramic film, and (iii) its transfer onto plastics by melting or softening the plastics surface. Reflective anatase and electrically conductive indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films were prepared on acrylic resin and polycarbonate substrates. Patterned ITO thin films could also be fabricated on plastics by using a mother silicon substrate with periodic grooves.

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A new general route for large area, submicron thick ceramic thin films (crystalline metal oxide thin films) on plastic substrates is presented, where the crystallization of films is guaranteed by a firing process. Gel films are deposited on silicon substrates with a release layer and fired to be ceramic films, followed by transferring onto plastic substrates using adhesives. The ceramic films thus fabricated on plastics exhibit a certain degree of flexibility, implying the possibility of the technique to be applied to high-throughput roll-to-roll processes. Using this technique, we successfully realized transparent anatase thin films that provide high optical reflectance and transparent indium tin oxide thin films that exhibit electrical conductivity on polycarbonate and acrylic resin substrates, respectively. Crystallographically oriented zinc oxide films and patterned zinc oxide films are also demonstrated to be realized on acrylic resin substrates.