A study of piezoelectric orthorhombic Ta 2 O 5

In 1985 it was first reported that monoclinic Ta 2 O 5 has piezoelectric properties comparable to ZnO. In this work we report on the deposition, characterization, and qualitative assessment of the piezoelectric behavior of orthorhombic Ta 2 O 5 . Reactive magnetron sputtering was used to deposit thin films of Ta 2 O 5 onto substrates of 316L stainless steel. Without substrate heating the crystallinity was poor. A rapid thermal anneal improved the crystallinity. The orthorhombic phase was dominantly present on all substrates. The piezoelectric property was qualitatively assessed, including a high temperature test at 650 °C.