HIGH PURITY REFRACTORY METAL POWDERS AND THEIR USE IN SPUTTERING TARGETS WHICH MAY HAVE RANDOM TEXTURE

摘要

A method for making a sputtering target including steps of encapsulating and hot isostatically pressing at least one mass of metal powder (e.g., tantalum), having a particle size ranging from about 10 to about 1000 μm, with at least about 10 percent by weight of particles having a particle size greater than about 150 μm (for example, about 29 to about 56 percent (e.g., about 35 to about 47 percent) by weight of the particles in the at least one mass of metal powder having a particle size that is larger than 150 microns, but below about 250 μm), for defining at least a portion of a sputtering target body, having an essentially theoretical random and substantially uniform crystallographic texture.

主权项

1) A method for making a sputtering target comprising the steps of:
a. encapsulating at least one mass of metal powder that has at least about 95% by weight of particles exhibiting a particle size ranging from about 10 to about 1000 μm, with at least about 10 percent by weight of particles having a particle size greater than about 150 μm, in a container configured for defining at least a portion of a sputtering target body; and b. hot isostatically pressing the at least one mass of metal powder to form a resulting densified mass having an initial crystallographic texture, while the at least one mass of metal powder is in the container, wherein the hot isostatically pressing step is performed under conditions so that the initial crystallographic texture achieved in the resulting densified mass is an essentially theoretically random and generally uniform crystallographic texture, wherein the method is devoid of any step of altering the initial crystallographic texture substantially throughout the resulting densified mass after the step of hot isostatically pressing and prior to sputtering.