Effect of ytterbium oxide deposition on microstructural and electrical properties of thin tantalum foil

Abstract The effect of ytterbium oxide ( 174 Yb 2 O 3 ) deposition in modifying the material s and electrical properties of mechanically rolled tantalum (MRTa) thin foil is investigated through electron microscopic, crystallographic, elemental analysis, and current-voltage (I–V) characteristics. A 0.82 μm thick layer of 174 Yb 2 O 3 over ∼2.1 μm thick MRTa foil (Yb 2 O 3 /Ta) reduces the dimension of surface features, and indicates formation of nanoparticles. The electron beam imaging, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveal formation of uniformly distributed Yb 2 O 3 on MRTa surface and chemical inertness of the newly formed Yb 2 O 3 /MRTa thin film towards oxidation. The room temperature I–V characteristics of both the MRTa foil and Yb 2 O 3 /MRTa thin film tested with silver (Ag) top contact electrodes exhibit ohmic conductions and demonstrate an overall enhancement of 92.1% in electrical conductivity after Yb 2 O 3 thin film deposition on MRTa foil.