Abstract
Thin films of tantalum oxide were formed on quartz and silicon (111) substrates kept at room temperature (303 K) by reactive sputtering of tantalum target in the presence of mixture of
oxygen and argon gases. The as-deposited films were annealed in air for an hour in the temperature range 673–873 K. The films were characterized by studying structural, dielectric, electrical, and optical properties. The as-deposited films were amorphous in nature. As the annealing temperature increased to 673 K, the films were transformed into polycrystalline. Electrical characteristics of as-deposited and annealed