The Crystallization of Anodic Tantalum Oxide Films in the Presence of a Strong Electric F ie ls

Crystallization of amorphous anodic oxide films on tantalum may be accomplished by holding at temperatures in the neighborhood of room temperature provided a strong electric field is present in the film. This results in crystalline areas consisting of pie-shaped polycrystalline segments urrounded by coiled-up cylinders of the replaced amorphous phase. Factors affecting the nucleation and growth of these areas are dis-cussed, and a mechanism of growth is proposed. The nucleation of the areas is not understood at present