Tantalum，a kind of material used as barrier layer in integrated circuits，was selected to study the acoustic emission characteristics during the scratch process on its surface.The material removal mechanism was preliminarily explored，and the effects of scratch parameters on acoustic emission characteristics were analyzed to provide support for monitoring material removal process based on acoustic emission.The results show that during the scratch process，ploughing alternates with plastic flow，a groove with fluctuating depth is formed，and continuous acoustic emission signal is generated.With the rise of scratch velocity，the signal intensity is increased，the signal envelope fluctuates more drastically，and the signal shows stronger impulsiveness，while the median frequency is increased in the beginning，then stays stable or even drops.With the rise of scratch load，the signal becomes stronger，and the impulsiveness variates with the law of positive correlation.The scratch process on tantalum surface can be characterized by acoustic emission.