A thermal ink jet printhead that includes a thin film substrate including a plurality of thin film layers, a plurality of ink firing heater resistors defined in the plurality of thin film layers, a patterned tantalum layer disposed on said plurality of thin film layers, a barrier adhesion layer disposed on the patterned tantalum layer, an ink barrier layer disposed over the barrier adhesion layer, and respective ink chambers formed in the ink barrier layer over respective thin film resistors, each chamber formed by a chamber opening in barrier layer, the barrier adhesion layer more particularly comprises a tantalum nitride layer or a deposited tantalum, carbon, fluorine, and oxygen containing layer that is formed pursuant to exposure of the patterned tantalum layer to a plasma that includes a fluorinated hydrocarbon such as carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), fluoroform (CHF3), hexafluoroethane (C2F6), difluoromethane (CH2F2), pentafluoroethane (C2HF5), tetrafluoroethane (C2H2F4), or octafluorobutene (C4F8).