Aluminum-based ceramics, such as Aluminum Nitrides (AlN) and Aluminum Oxides (Al2O3), are renowned for their insulating properties and high thermal stability. Their field of applications is vast, either as structural components or thin films. The growth of such insulating materials is especially desired in micro-electronics, energy production techniques, or automotive industry. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate economic and sustainable deposition techniques to grow insulating AlN and Al2O3 thin films. Given the challenges associated with the reactive growth of these insulating coatings, various techniques, including direct magnetron sputtering (DCMS), high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS), and pulsed magnetron sputtering (PMS), have been explored. For all depositions an in-house developed sputter system equipped with a 3” Al target was used in mixed Ar/N2 or Ar/O2 atmospheres, respectively. One goal was to study the influence of the sputtering technique on the poisoning behavior in relation to the respective N2 or O2 partial pressure. In addition, the impact of these deposition parameters on the structure, morphology, and electrical resistivity was investigated using high-resolution characterization methods. Phase formation has been examined using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), while the deposition rate and film morphology were investigated through scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). The insulating behavior of the coatings was analyzed using in-situ impedance spectroscopy across a temperature range from room temperature to 600°C. Ti/Pt electrode pads were deposited on the thin films using a lithography process for the impedance spectroscopy. For both ceramic thin film materials (AlN and Al2O3), a threshold in reactive gas adjusts the electric resistance from a metallic to a purely dielectric mode – of course depending on the sputtering technique employed. In all cases, the enrichment of nitrogen or oxygen in the gas atmosphere is accompanied by a substantial decrease in the sputtering rate but stabilization of the single-phase pure structure, suggesting poisoned target conditions.