Tantalum oxide (TaO x ) films were deposited by KrF excimer laser ablation of Ta 2 O 5 targets in an oxygen gas ambient. The deposition was performed on silicon substrates. The impact of varying the substrate temperature (from room temperature to 400°C) and gas pressure (0.14–5.34Pa) on film properties was investigated. Differences in composition, with Ta/O ratios in the range 0.36–0.7, were observed when the deposition parameters were varied. For O 2 pressures above 2.67Pa and deposition temperatures of 150°C and higher, Ta/O ratios of 0.38–0.44 were obtained, with a mean value of 0.41. For all growth conditions, based on Auger electron spectroscopy analyses, the tantalum oxide films were found to be homogeneous in composition throughout their thickness. According to X-ray diffraction measurements, the structure of the films was found to be amorphous-like for all temperatures. In terms of optical properties, stoichiometric Ta 2 O 5 films exhibited indices of refraction higher than 2.2, extinction coefficients of less than 10 −4 , and optical energy band gaps of up to 4.1eV. Such results showed that Ta 2 O 5 films produced by pulsed laser deposition might be suitable for optical-based applications.