Tantalum is a Block D, Group 5, Period 6 element. The electronic configuration is [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d³ 6s². In its elemental form tantalum's CAS number is 7440-25-7. The tantalum atom has a radius of 143.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 200.pm. Tantalum has a number of interesting properties that make it particularly useful in electronic applications. Tantalum is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder. It has the third highest melting point, surpassed only by rhenium and tungsten, yet it is highly conductive to heat and electricity. This has made it the material of choice for electronic capacitors for most telecommunications and hand held electronics equipment, such as cell phones, laptop computers and pagers. Tantalum compounds, such as the oxide and chloride, are the basis for di-electric coatings. Tantalum is added to glass for its high refractive index. It has various applications in nuclear energy.

Hafnium is a Block D, Group 4, Period 6 element. The electronic configuration is [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d² 6s². In its elemental form hafnium's CAS number is 7440-58-6. The hafnium atom has a radius of 156.4.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 200.pm. Hafnium is one of the Group IV transition elements that is refined from various zirconic mineral deposits. Hafnium is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder. It's primary uses are due to its ability as a nuclear "getter" or absorber of neutrons. It is a primary component in nuclear control rods for this purpose. It also finds uses as a dopant in the alloy of steel and titanium. It is also used in the production of mantles for high intensity incandescent lamps. Hafnium is replacing polysilicon as the principle gate or electrode material in metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) which are the basis for all modern semiconductors. As semiconductors have gotten smaller, the limiting factor in further size reduction has been the ability of the silicon oxide gate to perform below 10 angstroms where leakage occurs. Recent research has been devoted to the development of High-k materials which can function as a di-electric barrier or gate with lower leakage. Using hafnium based alloys as this di-electric gate has allowed for the development of MOSFET gates smaller than 10 angstroms. This allows for further size reduction, reduced switching power requirements and improved performance.