50 524 TaAl N thinˆlms prepared by DC reactive sputtering with Ta and Al composite target in a gas mixture of argon and nitrogen were investigated. The electrical properties of TaAl N thinˆlms could be controlled by the gas ‰ow rate rario R N : R N ＝F(N 2 )/[F(N 2 )＋F (Ar)]. Under the condition of R N lower than 25, the TCR (the temperature coe‹cient of the resistivity) was constant at RT 300°C.The crystal structure of TaAl N thinˆlm was in‰uenced by R N .