PRODUCTION OF THIN GLASS FILM

PURPOSE:To easily and continuously produce a thin glass film suppressing the generation of cracks, by rotating a specific drum immersed in a solution containing a metal alkoxide, thereby forming a metal alkoxide solution layer on the drum surface. CONSTITUTION:A solution of e.g. Ti(OC3H7)4 is adjusted to a viscosity of 10-1,000ps and optionally added with a viscosity modifier such as methyl cellulose to obtain a solution of metal alkoxide A of a hydrolyzing state. A cylindrical drum (B) made of a material having a critical surface tension (rc) of 25-35 dyn/cm is rotated in a state that one end of the circumference of the drum B is dipped in the solution A. A layer of the solution A is formed on the surface of the drum B and, at the same time, the hydrolysis of the solution is carried out to form a gel film (C). The film C is continuously peeled off from the drum B and the obtained ribbon-like thin gel film (D) is dried and sintered to obtain the objective thin glass film.