Kobelco Research Institute, Inc.

Kobe Steel, Ltd.

Yuki Iwasaki

Hiroshi Goto

Masaya Ehira

Katsutoshi Takagi

Moriyoshi Kanamaru

Nobuyuki Kawakami

Mototaka Ochi

Yoichiro Yoneda

Akira Nambu

Akira Nanbu

Minoru Matsui

Provided is an oxide sintered body suitably used for producing an oxide semiconductor film for a display device, the oxide sintered body capable of forming an oxide semiconductor film exerting excellent conductivity, having high relative density and excellent in-plane uniformity, and exhibiting high carrier mobility. This oxide sintered body is obtained by combining and sintering a zinc oxide powder, a tin oxide powder, and an indium oxide powder. The oxide sintered body satisfies the following equation (1) when the oxide sintered body is subjected to X-ray diffraction, Equation (1): [A/(A+B+C+D)]&#xd7;100&#x2267;70. In equation (1), A represents the XRD peak intensity in the vicinity of 2&#x3b8;=34&#xb0;, B represents the XRD peak intensity in the vicinity of 2&#x3b8;=31&#xb0;, C represents the XRD peak intensity in the vicinity of 2&#x3b8;=35&#xb0;, and D represents the XRD peak intensity in the vicinity of 2&#x3b8;=26.5&#xb0;.

Oxide sintered body and sputtering target

This oxide sintered compact is obtained by mixing and sintering powders of zinc oxide, tin oxide and indium oxide. As determined by X-ray diffractometry of this oxide sintered compact, the oxide sintered compact has a ZnSnOphase as the main phase and contains an In/InO&#x2014;ZnSnOsolid solution wherein In and/or InOis solid-solved in ZnSnO, but a ZnInOphase (wherein x, y and z each represents an arbitrary positive integer) is not detected. Consequently, the present invention was able to provide an oxide sintered compact which is suitable for use in the production of an oxide semiconductor film for display devices and has both high electrical conductivity and high relative density. The oxide sintered compact is capable of forming an oxide semiconductor film that has high carrier mobility.

Oxide sintered compact and sputtering target

Provided are an oxide sintered body and a sputtering target that are ideal for the production of an oxide semiconductor film for a display device. The oxide sintered body and sputtering target that are provided have both high conductivity and high relative density, are capable of forming an oxide semiconductor film having a high carrier mobility, and in particular, have excellent direct-current discharge stability in that long-term, stable discharge is possible, even when used by the direct-current sputtering method. The oxide sintered body of the invention is an oxide sintered body obtained by mixing and sintering zinc oxide, tin oxide, and an oxide of at least one metal (M metal) selected from the group consisting of Al, Hf, Ni, Si, Ga, In, and Ta. When the in-plane specific resistance and the specific resistance in the direction of depth are approximated by Gaussian distribution, the distribution coefficient &#x3c3; of the specific resistance is 0.02 or less.

Provided is an oxide sintered body suitably used for the production of an oxide semiconductor film for a display device, wherein the oxide sintered body has both high conductivity and relative density, and is capable of depositing an oxide semiconductor film having high carrier mobility. This oxide sintered body is obtained by mixing and sintering powders of zinc oxide, tin oxide and indium oxide, and when an EPMA in-plane compositional mapping is performed on the oxide sintered body the percentage of the area in which Sn concentration is 10 to 50 mass % in the measurement area is 70 area percent or more.

The present invention provides a technique capable of decreasing a generation of splashing upon depositing by using an Al&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;La&#x2014;Cu alloy sputtering target comprising Ni, La, and Cu. The invention relates to an Al&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;La&#x2014;Cu alloy sputtering target comprising Ni, La and Cu, in which (1) a total area of an Al&#x2014;Ni intermetallic compound mainly comprising Al and Ni and having an average grain size of 0.3 &#x3bc;m or more and 3 &#x3bc;m or less is 70% or more by area ratio based on an entire area of the Al&#x2014;Ni intermetallic compound, and (2) a total area of an Al&#x2014;La&#x2014;Cu intermetallic compound mainly comprising Al, La and Cu and having an average grain size of 0.2 &#x3bc;m or more and 2 &#x3bc;m or less is 70% or more by area ratio based on an entire area of the Al&#x2014;La&#x2014;Cu intermetallic compound, in a case where a portion of the sputtering target is observed within a range of from &#xbc;t (t: thickness) to &#xbe;t along a cross section vertical to a plane of the sputtering target by using a scanning electron microscope at a magnification of 2000.

AL-Ni-La-Cu alloy sputtering target and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to an Al&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;La&#x2014;Si system Al-based alloy sputtering target including Ni, La and Si, in which, when a section from (&#xbc;)t to (&#xbe;)t (t: thickness) in a cross section vertical to a plane of the sputtering target is observed with a scanning electron microscope at a magnification of 2000 times, (1) a total area of an Al&#x2014;Ni system intermetallic compound having an average particle diameter of 0.3 &#x3bc;m to 3 &#x3bc;m with respect to a total area of the entire Al&#x2014;Ni system intermetallic compound is 70% or more in terms of an area fraction, the Al&#x2014;Ni system intermetallic compound being mainly composed of Al and Ni; and (2) a total area of an Al&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;La&#x2014;Si system intermetallic compound having an average particle diameter of 0.2 &#x3bc;m to 2 &#x3bc;m with respect to a total area of the entire Al&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;La&#x2014;Si system intermetallic compound is 70% or more in terms of an area fraction, the Al&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;La&#x2014;Si system intermetallic compound being mainly composed of Al, Ni, La, and Si.

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Takasago, Japan

Yuki Iwasaki