Tosoh Corporation

Kentaro Utsumi

Osamu Matsunaga

Hideto Kuramochi

Tetsuo Shibutami

Ryo Akiike

Akio Kondo

Toshiya Takahara

Keitaro Matsumaru

Ryoji Yoshimura

Yasufumi Tsubakihara

The invention provides an oxide sintered compactcomposed of a crystal phase which consists of a bixbite-type oxide phase and a perovskite-type oxide phase, or a bixbite-type oxide phase, the crystal phase having indium, tin, strontium and oxygen as the constituent elements, and the indium, the tin and the strontium contents satisfying formulas (1) and (2) in terms of atomic ratio, as well as a sputtering target. There are further provided an oxide transparent conductive film formed using the sputtering target, and a solar cell.Sn/(In+Sn+Sr)=0.01-0.11&#x2003;&#x2003;(1)Sr/(In+Sn+Sr)=0.0005-0.004&#x2003;&#x2003;(2)[In formulas (1) and (2), In, Sn and Sr represent indium, tin and strontium contents (atomic percent), respectively.]

Sintered oxide material, method for manufacturing same, sputtering target, oxide transparent electrically conductive film, method for manufacturing same, and solar cell

The surface to be sputtered of a sputtering target is blasted with a blasting material in the form of a finely divided powder having particle diameters falling within the range of 10 to 500 .mu.m to remove impurities staining the surface to be sputtered. This blasting treatment is suitable especially for a sputtering surface having a raised portion thereon. Preferably the blasting treatment is effected in two stages: in the first stage, a blasting material powder with particle diameters of 50 to 500 .mu.m is used and, in the second stage, a blasting material powder with particle diameters of 10 to 110 .mu.m is used. The blast-treated surface has a uniform, isotropic and reduced surface roughness.

Process for producing sputtering target

A sintered ITO compact is provided which is capable of retarding nodule formation, or particle generation. The sintered ITO compact is composed of In, Sn, and O, and has avelage length of void size of not larger than 0.7 .mu.m. This sintered ITO compact is produced by sintering, substantially in an oxygen atmosphere, a green compact formed from a mixed powder of indium oxide power and tin oxide powder, the mixed powder containing the tin oxide powder at a content ranging from 5% to 15%, and the tin oxide powder having particles of a particle size of not more than 1 .mu.m constituting not less than 90% portion thereof; or produced by sintering, in an oxygen atmosphere, a green compact formed from a mixed powder of indium oxide powder and tin oxide powder, the mixed powder having a tap density of not less than 1.8 g/cm.sup.3, and the tin oxide powder having a maximum particle size of not larger than 1 .mu.m and a median diameter of not larger than 0.4 .mu.m.

Process of preparing high-density sintered ITO compact and sputtering

Growing community of inventors

Ayase, Japan

Kentaro Utsumi