Materials Research Corporation

Sony Corporation

Daniel R Marx

Raymond K Lam

Steven D Hurwitt

Ultra high purity materials, particularly metallic materials such magnesium and similarly high volatility materials, are produced by a vacuum distillation method and apparatus to increase purity by approximately five hundred times in a single step. For example, magnesium purity, exclusive of zinc content, is increased from 99.95% to greater than 99.9999%. A distillation column is formed of a high purity (less than 10 ppm ash) graphite, and includes a crucible, a vertical condenser in which horizontal high purity graphite baffles are selectively located at a plurality of levels, for example at nine levels. The column is contained in a three-zone resistance furnace that is controlled to heat the crucible to evaporate the material, maintain the condenser immediately above the crucible to above the boiling point of the material, and maintain the portion of the column thereabove at below the boiling point of the material, preferably with the temperature gradually decreasing with the height of the column. The baffles are spaced along the condenser and are staggered to slow the vapors such that the high purity material reaches its condensation temperature and condenses on one or more selected ones of the baffles. The condenser is split so the baffles can be selectively placed and removed to remove the purified material. Caps at the top and bottom of the column hold the split condenser together.

Vacuum distillation apparatus for producing ultra high purity material

Ultra high purity materials, particularly metallic materials such as magnesium and similarly high volatility materials, are produced by a vacuum distillation method and apparatus to increase purity by approximately five hundred times in a single step. For example, magnesium purity, exclusive of zinc content, is increased from 99.95% to greater than 99.9999%. A distillation column is formed of a high purity (less than 10 ppm ash) graphite, and includes a crucible, a vertical condenser in which horizontal high purity graphite baffles are selectively located at a plurality of levels, for example at nine levels. The column is contained in a three-zone resistance furnace that is controlled to heat the crucible to evaporate the material, maintain the condenser immediately above the crucible to above the boiling point of the material, and maintain the portion of the column thereabove at below the boiling point of the material, preferably with the temperature gradually decreasing with the height of the column. The baffles are spaced along the condenser and are staggered to slow the vapors such that the high purity material reaches its condensation temperature and condenses on one or more selected ones of the baffles. The condenser is split so the baffles can be selectively placed and removed to remove the purified material. Caps at the top and bottom of the column hold the split condenser together.

Ultra high purity magnesium vacuum distillation purification method

A magneto-optical sputter target having a composition comprising at least one rare earth element and at least one transition metal, with a structure which includes a transition metal constituent and a finely mixed alloy constituent of a rare earth phase and a rare earth/transition metal intermetallic compound. The structure of the present target contains a minimum of the intermetallic compound. A method of producing the present sputter target includes mixing particles of the transition metal constituent (preferably only alloyed transition metals) with particles of the finely mixed alloy to produce a powder blend and subjecting the powder blend to a pressing operation in an oxidizing inhibiting environment for a time and at a temperature and pressure which minimizes the rare earth/transition metal intermetallic compound content of the target.

Magneto-optical alloy sputter targets

A sputtering target and target assembly includes a target member having a substantially continuously concave top surface and a bottom surface with a central, downwardly directed hub and at least three annular regions of differing radius of curvature. The shape of the target member bottom surface conforms to a backplate to which it is mounted, thereby facilitating accurate mounting of the target member during sputtering. The corresponding shapes of the target member and backplate promote maximum utilization of sputtering material.

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West Caldwell, NJ, United States of America

Daniel R Marx