Ta2O5 films were prepared by KrF excimer laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) at substrate temperatures (Tsub) from 403 to 673K, laser fluences (FL) from 200 to 450 J m-2, laser repetition rates (RR) from 20 to 120 Hz and total gas pressure of 133.3 Pa. Columnar and dense structures of deposits were prepared by selection of deposition conditions. The dense Ta2O5 deposit was obtained at Tsub = 673 K, FL = 200 J m-2 and RR = 120 Hz using the nozzle to concentrate the source gas onto the substrate. Potentiodynamic polarization curves of iron substrates coated with LCVD-Ta2O5 were measured. The current density of the iron substrate coated with dense Ta2O5 was six orders of magnitude smaller than that of the uncoated one. The dense LCVD-Ta2O5 coating seemed to be effective in increasing the corrosion resistance of an iron substrate. © 1993.