In 1985 it was first reported that monoclinic Ta2O5 has piezoelectric properties comparable to ZnO. In this work we report on the deposition, characterization, and qualitative assessment of the piezoelectric behavior of orthorhombic Ta2O5. Reactive magnetron sputtering was used to deposit thin films of Ta2O5 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.

Acoustic sensors which can function at high temperatures have important potential uses. In this work we report on the deposition, characterization and qualitative assessment of piezoelectric behaviour of orthorhombic Ta 2 O 5• It is shown that orthorhombic Ta 2 O 5 belongs to the class 2mm. XRD analysis of films annealed for 1 min., 10 min. and 1 hr at 800°C and 900°C reveal the formation of (0 0 1), (1 10 0) and (1 11 0) orientations at 800 °C, but the (1 10 0) increases at the expense of the other two as the annealing period is extended. At 900°C the dominant orientations are (1 10 0) and (2 9 0). The piezoelectric effect is significantly stronger after annealing and the stronger piezoelectric effect does not correlate with the presence of (1 10 0) and (2 9 0) so much as with the absence of (0 0 1) and (1 11 0).