Praxair S.t. Technology, Inc.

Praxair Technology, Inc.

Holger J Koenigsmann

Paul S Gilman

Thomas J Hunt

Andrew C Perry

Alfred Snowman

Binu Mathew

Peter McDonald

David E Dombrowski

Brian J O'Hara

Ivan Ward

Shailesh Kulkarni

Andre Desert

Brian J O'HARA

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus of forming a sputter target assembly having a controlled solder thickness. In particular, the method includes the introduction of a bonding foil, between the backing plate and the sputter target, wherein the bonding foil is an ignitable heterogeneous stratified structure for the propagation of an exothermic reaction.

Method for forming sputter target assemblies having a controlled solder thickness

The method forms a sputter target assembly by attaching a sputter target to an insert and applying a bond metal layer between the insert and a backing plate. Then pressing the insert and backing plate together forms a solid state bond with the bond metal layer, attaches the insert to the backing plate and forms at least one cooling channel between the insert and the backing plate.

Method for forming sputter target assemblies

The method manufactures high-purity ferromagnetic sputter targets by cryogenic working the sputter target blank at a temperature below at least &#x2212;50&#xb0; C. to impart at least about 5 percent strain into the sputter target blank to increase PTF uniformity of the target blank. The sputter target blank is a nonferrous metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel; and the nonferrous metal has a purity of at least about 99.99 weight percent. Finally, fabricating the sputter target blank forms a sputter target having an improved PTF uniformity arising from the cryogenic working.

High-purity ferromagnetic sputter targets and method of manufacture

The sputter target includes a tantalum body having tantalum grains formed from consolidating tantalum powder and a sputter face. The sputter face has an atom transport direction for transporting tantalum atoms away from the sputter face for coating a substrate. The tantalum grains have at least a 40 percent () direction orientation ratio and less than a 15 percent () direction orientation ratio in an atom transport direction away from the sputter face for increasing sputtering uniformity, the tantalum body being free of ()&#x2013;() direction banding detectable by Electron Back-Scattering Diffraction and wherein the sputter target has a purity of at least 99.99 (%) percent.

Textured-grain-powder metallurgy tantalum sputter target

Provided is a method of forming ferromagnetic sputter targets and sputter target assemblies having a uniform distribution of magnetic leakage flux. The method includes providing a ferromagnetic sputter workpiece and hot rolling the workpiece to a substantially circular configuration sputter target; machining a taper in a surface of the sputter target to have a thickness gradient of the sputter target, where the center of the sputter target is about 0.020 to about 0.005 inches thinner than the edge of the sputter target, and where the magnetic leakage flux across the sputter target is uniformly distributed.

High purity ferromagnetic sputter target, assembly and method of manufacturing same

The sputter target includes a tantalum body having tantalum grains formed from consolidating tantalum powder and a sputter face. The sputter face has an atom transport direction for transporting tantalum atoms away from the sputter face for coating a substrate. The tantalum grains have at least a 40 percent ( ) direction orientation ratio and less than a 15 percent ( ) direction orientation ratio in an atom transport direction away from the sputter face for increasing sputtering uniformity.

The method forms a sputter target assembly by attaching a sputter target to an insert and applying a bond metal layer between the insert and a backing plate. Then pressing the insert and backing plate together forms a solid state bond with the bond metal layer, attaches the insert to the backing plate and forms at least one cooling channel between the insert and the backing plate. A filler metal secures the outer perimeter of the insert to the backing plate in order to eliminate leakage from the cooling channel during sputtering of the sputter target.

The method manufactures high-purity ferromagnetic sputter targets by cryogenic working the sputter target blank at a temperature below at least &minus;50&deg; C. to impart at least about 5 percent strain into the sputter target blank to increase PTF uniformity of the target blank. The sputter target blank is a nonferrous metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel; and the nonferrous metal has a purity of at least about 99.99 weight percent. Finally, fabricating the sputter target blank forms a sputter target having an improved PTF uniformity arising from the cryogenic working.

The method manufactures sputter target assemblies. It first includes the step of manufacturing a target insert. The target insert has a yield strength, a diameter, a height, a planar top surface and a conical-shaped rear surface. Then a backing plate is manufactured. The backing plate has a cylindrical recess that corresponds to the diameter of the target insert. The cylindrical recess has a depth less than the height of the target insert and a yield strength less than the yield strength of the target insert. Finally, pressing the target insert into the cylindrical recess of the backing plate bonds the target insert to the backing plate to form a target assembly. The pressed target assembly contains the target insert with the conical-shaped rear surface.

Recessed sputter target

The method is used to fabricate pure copper sputter targets. It includes first heating a copper billet to a temperature of at least 500&deg; C. The copper billet has a purity of at least 99.99 percent. Then warm working the copper billet applies at least 40 percent strain. Cold rolling the warm worked copper billet then applies at least 40 percent strain and forms a copper plate. Finally, annealing the copper plate at a temperature above about 250&deg; C. forms a target blank. The target blank has equiaxed grains having an average grain size of less than 40 &mgr;m. The grains of the target blank have (111), (200), (220) and (311) orientations with the amount of the grains having each of the orientations being less than 50 percent.

Fabrication and bonding of copper sputter targets

The sputter target deposits nickel from a binary alloy. The binary alloy contains, by weight percent, 9 to 15 titanium and the balance nickel and incidental impurities. The binary alloy has, by weight percent, 35 to 50 TiNi needle-like intermetallic phase and balance &agr;-nickel phase. The TiNi needle-like intermetallic phase and &agr;-nickel phase are formed from a eutectic decomposition. The &agr;-nickel phase has a grain size between 50 and 180 &mgr;m. The binary alloy has a Curie temperature of less than or equal to a temperature of 25&deg; C. and exhibits paramagnetic properties at temperatures of 25&deg; C. or lower.

Nickel-titanium sputter target alloy

The present invention provides a high purity cobalt sputter target having a single phase h.c.p. structure and a magnetic permeability less than the intrinsic magnetic permeability of the material. Substantially pure cobalt is cast and slowly cooled, such as at a rate of 15&deg; C./min. Or less, to form a cast target of single phase h.c.p. crystallographic structure. This cast target is hot worked at a temperature of at least about 1000&deg; C. to impart a strain of about 65% or greater into the cobalt material, followed by a slow, controlled cooling to room temperature, such as at a rate of 15&deg; C./min. or less, to maintain the single phase h.c.p. crystallographic structure. The cooled target is then cold worked at substantially room temperature to impart a strain of about 5-20%. The sputter target of the present invention processed by this method has a magnetic permeability of less than about 9, grain sizes in the size range of about 70-160 &mgr;m, and average grain size of about 130 &mgr;m.

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Congers, NY, United States of America

Holger J Koenigsmann