Processing and Characterization of Ta2O5 Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Ablation

A versatile, environmentally friendly metal oxide deposition technique—pulsed laser ablation—is described for the fabrication of thin films of Ta2O5. This technique is reported to have several advantages over other deposition methods (such as chemical vapor deposition and magnetron sputtering), for instance, a high instantaneous rate of deposition with tight control over the film thickness and transfer of the original stoichiometry. In its thin-film form Ta2O5 is a promising material for the fabrication of antireflection coatings and oxygen sensors, among other applications.