The objective of this investigation is to grow films with good electrical and optical properties through the process of metallo-organic decomposition (MOD) and compare them with those made with other processes such as sputtering. Thin lithium niobate and lead zirconium titanate (PZT) films were made. Films were grown on Si(100), Si(111) and sapphire(012). Thin films made via MOD yielded crystalline films with the absence of other phases other than LiNbO\sb3. The films were polycrystalline and often randomly oriented. Grain orientation along (104) was observed on Si(100). An attenuation of 2.8 dB/cm was observed on performing optical waveguiding on films grown on sapphire. Capacitance-voltage measurements yielded dielectric constants of about 28-32 for LiNbO\sb3 films on Si. The resistivity as measured from current-voltage tests was 10\sp12 to 10\sp13. The PZT films were crystalline and no particular grain orientation was found for films grown on silicon. MOD technique was found to yield films with good stoichiometry. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)