| Title | Investigation of the refractive index repeatability for tantalum pentoxide coatings, prepared by physical vapor film deposition techniques. |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stenzel, O.; Wilbrandt, S.; Wolf, J.; Schürmann, M.; Kaiser, N.; Ristau, D.; Ehlers, H.; Carstens, F.; Schippel, S.; Mechold, L.; Rauhut, R.; Kennedy, M.; Bischoff, M.; Nowitzki, T.; Zöller, A.; Hagedorn, H.; Reus, H.; Hegemann, T.; Starke, K.; Harhausen, J.; Foest, R.; Schumacher, J. |
| Journal | Appl Opt |
| DOI | 10.1364/AO.56.00C193 |
| Abstract |
Random effects in the repeatability of refractive index and absorption edge position of tantalum pentoxide layers prepared by plasma-ion-assisted electron-beam evaporation, ion beam sputtering, and magnetron sputtering are investigated and quantified. Standard deviations in refractive index between 4*10-4 and 4*10-3 have been obtained. Here, lowest standard deviations in refractive index close to our detection threshold could be achieved by both ion beam sputtering and plasma-ion-assisted deposition. In relation to the corresponding mean values, the standard deviations in band-edge position and refractive index are of similar order. |
See more Tantalum products. Tantalum (atomic symbol: Ta, atomic number: 73) is a Block D, Group 5, Period 6 element with an atomic weight of 180.94788. 
The number of electrons in each of tantalum's shells is [2, 8, 18, 32, 11, 2] and its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f14 5d3 6s2. The tantalum atom has a radius of 146 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 217 pm. 
Tantalum was first discovered by Anders G. Ekeberg in 1802 in Uppsala, Sweden however, it was not until 1844 when Heinrich Rose first recognized it as a distinct element. In its elemental form, tantalum has a grayish blue appearance. Tantalum is found in the minerals tantalite, microlite, wodginite, euxenite, and polycrase. Due to the close relation of tantalum to niobium in the periodic table, Tantalum's name originates from the Greek word Tantalos meaning Father of Niobe in Greek mythology.