(602a) Characterization of Novel Polymer Assisted Thick Ta2o5 for High Temperature Application

The need for high temperature photonic bandgap materials has become crucial due to the development of a variety of micro electromechanical systems. Nanostructured Ta2O5 films (1.5micron) is an appealing material for such systems in regulating high temperatures due to its high index of refraction, negligible absorbance in the IR region and tunable optical properties.

This work focuses on the characterization of a binder (polyvinyl pyrollidone) assisted sol gel synthesized Ta2O5 film. Surface characterization and sol analysis results are presented. We have observed changes in the film properties such as thickness; stability and nature of cracks based on chemical transformations in the sol. Qualitative and quantitative aspects of the sol chemistry in promoting stable film formation are presented.