Jx Nippon Mining Metals Corporation

Hitachi Maxell, Limited

Jx Advanced Metals Corporation

Atsushi Sato

Yuichiro Nakamura

Atsutoshi Arakawa

Shin-ichi Ogino

Hideo Takami

Yuki Ikeda

Kazuyuki Satoh

Provided is a sputtering target which can lower a heat treatment temperature for ordering a Fe—Pt magnetic phase and can suppress generation of particles during sputtering. The sputtering target is a nonmagnetic material-dispersed sputtering target containing Fe, Pt and Ge. The sputtering target includes at least one magnetic phase satisfying a composition represented by (FePt)Ge, as expressed in an atomic ratio for Fe, Pt and Ge, in which α and β represent numbers meeting 0.35≤α≤0.55 and 0.05≤β≤0.2, respectively. The magnetic phase has a ratio (S/S) of 0.5 or less. The ratio (S/S) is an average area ratio of Ge-based alloy phases containing a Ge concentration of 30% by mass or more (S) to an area ratio of Ge (S) calculated from the entire composition of the sputtering target, in element mapping by EPMA of a polished surface obtained by polishing a cross section perpendicular to a sputtering surface of the sputtering target.

Nonmagnetic material-dispersed Fe-Pt based sputtering target

There is provided a BN-containing ferromagnetic material sputtering target which is capable of suppressing generation of particles during sputtering. A sputtering target containing from 1 to 40 at. % of B and from 1 to 30 at. % of N and comprising a structure including at least one ferromagnetic metal-containing metal phase and at least one nonmagnetic material phase, wherein an X-ray diffraction profile obtained by analyzing the structure with an X-ray diffraction method exhibits a diffraction peak derived from cubic boron nitride.

Ferromagnetic material sputtering target

A sintered compact sputtering target in which a composition ratio based on atomicity is represented by a formula of (Fe&#x2014;Pt)&#x2014;C(provided A is a number which satisfies 20&#x2264;A&#x2264;50 and X is a number which satisfies 35&#x2264;X&#x2264;55), wherein C grains are finely dispersed in an alloy, and the relative density is 90% or higher. The production of a magnetic thin film with granular structure is provided without using an expensive simultaneous sputtering device, and a high-density sputtering target capable of reducing the amount of particles generated during sputtering is provided.

Fe-Pt-based sputtering target with dispersed C grains

A sputtering target containing, as metal components, 0.5 to 45 mol % of Cr and remainder being Co, and containing, as non-metal components, two or more types of oxides including Ti oxide, wherein a structure of the sputtering target is configured from regions where oxides including at least Ti oxide are dispersed in Co (non-Cr-based regions), and a region where oxides other than Ti oxide are dispersed in Cr or Co&#x2014;Cr (Cr-based region), and the non-Cr-based regions are scattered in the Cr-based region. An object of this invention is to provide a sputtering target for forming a granular film which suppresses the formation of coarse complex oxide grains and generates fewer particles during sputtering.

Co&#x2014;Cr&#x2014;Pt-based sputtering target and method for producing same

A ferromagnetic material sputtering target made of metal having a composition containing 20 mol % or less of Cr, and Co as the remainder thereof, wherein the structure of the target includes a metallic substrate (A), and, in the metallic substrate (A), a spherical phase (B) containing 90 wt % or more of Co in which the difference between the longest diameter and the shortest diameter is 0 to 50%. Provided is a ferromagnetic material sputtering target capable of improving the leakage magnetic flux to obtain a stable electrical discharge with a magnetron sputtering device.

Provided is a sputtering target of ferromagnetic material comprising a metal having a composition containing 20 mol % or less of Cr, and Co as the remainder; wherein the target structure includes a phase (A) which is a basis metal, and metal phases (B) having a component composition different from the peripheral texture within the phase (A), the area ratio occupied by oxides within 1 &#x3bc;m from the most outer periphery of metal phases (B) is 80% or less, and the average grain size of the metal phases (B) is 10 &#x3bc;m or more and 150 &#x3bc;m or less. Provided is a sputtering target of ferromagnetic material capable of inhibiting the generation of particles during sputtering, and improving the pass-through flux to achieve a stable electrical discharge with a magnetron sputtering device.

Sputtering target of ferromagnetic material with low generation of particles

A nonmagnetic material particle-dispersed ferromagnetic material sputtering target comprising a mixture of an alloy containing 5 mol % or more and 20 mol % or less of Cr, 5 mol % or more and 30 mol % or less of Pt, and Co as the remainder thereof, and nonmagnetic material particles, wherein the structure of the target includes a phase (A) in which the nonmagnetic material particles are uniformly micro-dispersed in the alloy, and a spherical alloy phase (B) dispersed in the phase (A) in which the ratio of its volume in the target is 4% or more and 40% or less. Obtained is a nonmagnetic material particle-dispersed ferromagnetic material sputtering target capable of improving the leakage magnetic flux to obtain a stable electrical discharge with a magnetron sputtering device, and which has high density and generates few particles during sputtering.

Nonmagnetic material particle-dispersed ferromagnetic material sputtering target

Provided is an inorganic-particle-dispersed sputtering target in which inorganic particles are dispersed in a Co base material, wherein the inorganic particles have an electric resistivity of 1&#xd7;10&#x3a9;&#xb7;m or less and the volume ratio of the inorganic particles in the target is 50% or less. The sputtering target thus adjusted is advantageous in that, when sputtering is performed using a magnetron sputtering device comprising a DC power source, the inorganic particles are less charged, and arcing occurs less frequently. Accordingly, by using the sputtering target of the present invention, the occurrence of particles attributable to the arcing reduces, and a significant effect of improving the yield in forming a thin film is obtained.

Inorganic-particle-dispersed sputtering target

A sputtering target of nonmagnetic-particle-dispersed ferromagnetic material is provided having a phase (A) such that nonmagnetic particles are dispersed in a ferromagnetic material formed from a Co&#x2014;Cr alloy containing 5 at % or more and 20 at % or less of Cr and Co as the remainder thereof, and schistose textures (B) with a short side of 30 to 100 &#x3bc;m and a long side of 50 to 300 &#x3bc;m formed from a Co&#x2014;Cr alloy phase in the phase (A); wherein each of the foregoing nonmagnetic particles has such a shape and size that the particle is smaller than all hypothetical circles with a radius of 1 &#x3bc;m around an arbitrary point within the nonmagnetic particle, or a shape and size with at least two contact points or intersection points between the respective hypothetical circles and the interface of the ferromagnetic material and the nonmagnetic material.

Sputtering target of nonmagnetic-particle-dispersed ferromagnetic material

Provided are a method of producing mixed powder comprising noble metal powder and oxide powder, wherein powder of ammonium chloride salt of noble metal and oxide powder are mixed, the mixed powder is subsequently roasted, and ammonium chloride is desorbed by the roasting process in order to obtain mixed powder comprising noble metal powder and oxide powder, and mixed powder comprising noble metal powder and oxide powder, wherein chlorine is less than 1000 ppm, nitrogen is less than 1000 ppm, 90% or more of the grain size of the noble metal powder is 20 &#x3bc;m or less, and 90% or more of the grain size of the oxide powder is 12 &#x3bc;m or less. Redundant processes in the production of noble metal powder are eliminated, and processes are omitted so that the inclusion of chlorine contained in the royal water and nitrogen responsible for hydrazine reduction reaction is eliminated as much as possible. Consequently, the present invention aims to omit the drying process at a high temperature and thereby prevent grain growth and aggregation, and further eliminate the pulverization and classification processes in order to considerably reduce the production cost.

Method of producing mixed powder comprising noble metal powder and oxide powder, and mixed powder comprising noble metal powder and oxide powder

A ferromagnetic sputtering target comprising metal having a composition containing 20 mol % or less of Cr, and Co as the remainder; wherein the target structure includes a basis metal (A), and flat phases (B), containing 90 wt % or more of Co, within the basis metal (A), the average grain size of the phases (B) is 10 &#x3bc;m or more and 150 &#x3bc;m or less, and the average aspect ratio of the phases (B) is 1:2 to 1:10. Provided is a ferromagnetic sputtering target capable of inhibiting the generation of particles during sputtering, and improving the pass-through flux to achieve a stable electrical discharge with a magnetron sputtering device.

Provided is a sputtering target of nonmagnetic-particle-dispersed ferromagnetic material comprising a phase (A) such that nonmagnetic particles are dispersed in a ferromagnetic material formed from a Co&#x2014;Cr alloy containing 5 at % or more and 20 at % or less of Cr and Co as the remainder thereof, and schistose textures (B) with a short side of 30 to 100 &#x3bc;m and a long side of 50 to 300 &#x3bc;m formed from a Co&#x2014;Cr alloy phase in the phase (A); wherein each of the foregoing nonmagnetic particles has such a shape and size that the particle is smaller than all hypothetical circles with a radius of 1 &#x3bc;m around an arbitrary point within the nonmagnetic particle, or a shape and size with at least two contact points or intersection points between the respective hypothetical circles and the interface of the ferromagnetic material and the nonmagnetic material.

According to the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge capable of being made compact although the disc cartridge has double structure, which cartridge is improved in light blocking effect and dustproof property, and is particularly suitable for use as a media disk. In this disk cartridge, a shutter is slidably mounted between an inner case and an outer case, and a joint surfaces of upper and lower halves of the inner case, and joint surfaces of upper and lower halves of the outer case are provided at positions at different heights. Light incidence preventing parts which consist of sets of a plurality of lines of ribbed projections are formed on an inner surface of the upper half and an inner surface of the lower half of the outer case.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Atsushi Sato