Yttrium oxide (Y2O3) has been successfully deposited on n-type 4H-SiC substrates using pulsed laser deposition. The effects of postdeposition annealing temperature (400, 500, and 600 degrees C) on the electrical properties of the Y2O3 gate oxide have been studied in comparison with the as-deposited, sample. The sample annealed at 600 degrees C possessed the highest dielectric breakdown field of similar to 6.5 MV cm(-1) at 10(-6) A cm(-2), resulting from the lowest interface trap density and total interface trap density. The Fowler-Nordheim tunneling mechanism has been investigated on all samples and the highest value of barrier height extracted between the semiconductor and oxide conduction band edges was 2.67 eV. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3481926] All rights reserved.