Honeywell International Inc.

The Alta Group, Inc.

Stephen P Turner

Yun Xu

Wei Guo

Mathew S Cooper

Rodney L Scagline

Yinshi Liu

Michael McCarty

Robert S Cole

Edward Cawley

David B Love

Joseph E Green

A method for producing a tantalum PVD component includes a minimum of three stages, each of which include a deformation step followed by a high-temperature anneal. The deformation occurs in air and at a component temperature less than or equal to 750&#xb0; F. in at least one of the minimum of three stages. The anneal occurs at a component temperature of at least 2200&#xb0; F. in at least the first two of the minimum of three stages. The tantalum component exhibits a uniform texture that is predominately {111}&#x3c;uvw&#x3e;. As an alternative, the deformation may occur at a component temperature of from 200&#xb0; F. to 750&#xb0; F. in at least the last stage of the minimum of three stages. The anneal may occur at a component temperature of from 1500&#xb0; F. to 2800&#xb0; F. in at least three of the minimum of three stages.

Tantalum PVD component producing methods

The invention includes superconducting titanium-containing compositions having less than 200 ppm, by weight, of a combined total of interstitial materials selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. The invention also includes methods of forming superconducting titanium-containing superconducting compositions containing less than 100 ppm, by weight, of a combined total of interstitial materials selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen.

Methods of forming titanium-containing superconducting compositions

A method for producing a tantalum sputtering component includes a minimum of three stages each of which include a deformation step followed by an inert atmosphere high-temperature anneal. Temperatures of each of the anneal steps can be different from one another. A tantalum sputtering component includes a mean grain size of less than about 100 microns and a uniform texture throughout the component thickness. The uniform texture can be predominately {111}&#x3c;uvw&#x3e;.

Tantalum sputtering target with fine grains and uniform texture and method of manufacture

The invention encompasses methods of forming titanium-based mixed-metal materials and zirconium-based mixed-metal materials utilizing one or more of a reduction process, electrolysis process and iodide process. The invention also encompasses a sputtering target comprising zirconium and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Ce, Co, Cs, Dy, Er, Fe, Gd, Hf, Ho, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Nd, Ni, Pr, Sc, Sm, Sr, Ta, Ti, V, W, Y, and Yb. The invention also encompasses a sputtering target comprising titanium and boron.

Titanium-based and zirconium-based mixed materials and sputtering targets

The invention includes an apparatus and method for determining the pass through flux of magnetic materials. The apparatus comprises one or more magnetic field sensors arranged in such a way as to collect field strength data in any or all the x, y, z directions. The apparatus also comprises a magnet field source or arrangement of magnet field sources which are placed beneath the material being characterized and includes a mechanism whereby the magnetic material can be mapped by the movement of any one or combination of: magnetic field source or sources, sensors and magnetic material. The invented method comprises the use of various configurations of magnetic sources in order to generate a magnetic field that emulates the open-loop condition found in magnetron sputtering.

Method and apparatus for determining the pass through flux of magnetic materials

A high purity cobalt sputter target is disclosed which contains a face centered cubic (fcc) phase and a hexagonal close packed (hcp) phase, wherein the value of the ratio of X-ray diffraction peak intensity, I (200)/I (10 1), is smaller than the value of the same ratio in a high purity cobalt material obtained by cooling fcc cobalt to room temperature from the high temperature at which it is molten. High purity cobalt is defined as having an oxygen content of not more than 500 ppm, a Ni content of not more than 200 ppm, contents of Fe, Al and Cr of not more than 50 ppm each, and Na and K of less than 0.5 ppm. The disclosed sputter target is manufactured by subjecting the material to cold-working treatments (less than 4221C). Annealing the material, at a temperature in the range 300-4221C for several hours, between cold working treatments significantly increases the amount of cold work which could be imparted into the material. The high purity cobalt is deformed in such a way so as to cause the (0002) hcp plane to be tilted between 10-351 from the target normal. The aforementioned phase proportions and crystallographic texture significantly improves the sputtering efficiency and material utilization.

High purity cobalt sputter target and process of manufacturing the same

A high purity cobalt sputter target is disclosed which contains a face centered cubic (fcc) phase and a hexagonal close packed (hcp) phase, wherein the value of the ratio of X-ray diffraction peak intensity, I (200)/I (10 {overscore (1)}1), is smaller than the value of the same ratio in a high purity cobalt material obtained by cooling fcc cobalt to room temperature from the high temperature at which it is molten. High purity cobalt is defined as having an oxygen content of not more than 500 ppm, a Ni content of not more than 200 ppm, contents of Fe, Al and Cr of not more than 50 ppm each, and Na and K of less than 0.5 ppm. The disclosed sputter target is manufactured by subjecting the material to cold-working treatments (less than 422&deg; C.). Annealing the material, at a temperature in the range 300-422&deg; C. for several hours, between cold working treatments significantly increases the amount of cold work which could be imparted into the material. The high purity cobalt is deformed in such a way so as to cause the (0002) hcp plane to be tilted between 10-35&deg; from the target normal. The aforementioned phase proportions and crystallographic texture significantly improves the sputtering efficiency and material utilization.

A method for producing a tantalum sputtering component includes a minimum of three stages each of which include a deformation step followed by an inert atmosphere high-temperature anneal. Temperatures of each of the anneal steps can be different from one another. A tantalum sputtering component includes a mean grain size of less than about 100 microns and a uniform texture throughout the component thickness. The uniform texture can be predominately &lcub;111&rcub;<uvw>.

Growing community of inventors

Moon Township, PA, United States of America

Stephen P Turner