Sony Corporation

Materials Research Corporation

Praxair Technology, Inc.

Praxair S.t. Technology, Inc.

Darryl Draper

Chi-Fung Lo

Paul S Gilman

Thomas J Hunt

Hung-Lee Hoo

James Elliot Joyce

Methods for manufacturing sputtering target assemblies and assemblies thereof are provided, particularly targets made of powders. Powders are adhered to a backing plate by use of a vacuum hot press, the powder preferably contacted by non-planar surfaces, and is compressed with at least about 95% density and substantially simultaneously diffusion-bonded to the backing plate.

Method for consolidating and diffusion-bonding powder metallurgy sputtering target

A method is provided for fabricating tungsten sputter targets having a density of at least about 97% of theoretical density and an oxygen content of at least about 100 ppm less than the starting powder. According to the principles of the present invention, a tungsten powder having a powder size less than about 50 &mgr;m and an oxygen content less than about 500 ppm is hot-isostatic pressed at a temperature of about 1200&deg; C. to about 1600&deg; C. and a pressure of at least about 15 ksi for at least about 3 hours. A high-purity sputter target is further achieved by using a tungsten starting powder having a purity higher than about 99.999%.

Method of making high-density, high-purity tungsten sputter targets

There is provided a method for fabricating high density sputter targets by pre-packing a powder bed by hot pressing or vibration between metal plates, followed by hot isostatic pressing. This method is especially suitable for preparing sputter targets with a radius to thickness ratio of at least 3 and a density of at least 96% of theoretical.

Method of making high density sputtering targets

Sputtering targets are cryogenically annealed to provide a uniformly dense molecular structure by placing the target in a temperature-controlled cryogenic chamber and cooling the chamber to a cryogenic temperature at a controlled rate. The target is maintained at a cryogenic temperature to cryogenically anneal the target and the target is subsequently returned to ambient or elevated temperature. Improvements in sputtered particle performance and early life film uniformity are achieved with the cryo-annealed targets.

Cryogenic annealing of sputtering targets

There is provided a method for fabricating intermetallic sputter targets of two or more elements in which a mixture of two or more elemental powders are blended and synthesized within a pressing apparatus at a temperature below the melting point of the lowest melting point element in the mixture, followed by heating the synthesized intermetallic powder in the pressing apparatus to a temperature below the melting point of the intermetallic structure while simultaneously applying pressure to the powder to achieve a final density greater than 90% of theoretical density. The powder metallurgy technique of the present invention provides a better microstructure than cast structures, and avoids contamination of the sputter target by eliminating the crushing step of synthesized intermetallic chunks necessitated by separate steps of synthesizing and pressing.

Manufacturing of high density intermetallic sputter targets

A method is provided for fabricating aluminum alloy sputtering targets having fine precipitates of a second phase material in small, randomly oriented and uniform grains. The method provided includes the steps of homogenizing the aluminum alloy billet at a temperature above the solidus temperature, deforming the billet, recrystallizing the billet at a temperature below the solidus temperature, and cryogenically deforming the billet. This minimizes second-phase precipitate size and prevents the formation of cubic structures, thereby generating fine uniform grain sizes having random orientation.

Method for fabricating randomly oriented aluminum alloy sputting targets

A method of fabricating an alloy sputtering target having fine precipitates of the second phase material and small, randomly oriented and uniform grains. The new method includes solution treatment to minimize second-phase precipitate size, cryo-deformation to prevent the formation of cubic structures and recrystallization to generate fine uniform grain sizes having a random orientation.

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Congers, NY, United States of America

Darryl Draper