Sputtering target and producing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11591687-B2
Application number	US-202016741838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2020
Priority date	Mar 5, 2019
Publication date	Feb 28, 2023
Grant date	Feb 28, 2023

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering target that can suppress a generation amount of fine nodules which lead to an increase in substrate particles during sputtering, and a method for producing the same. A ceramic sputtering target, the sputtering target having a surface roughness Ra on a sputtering surface of 0.5 μm or less and an Svk value measured with a laser microscope on the sputtering surface of 1.1 μm or less.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ceramic sputtering target, the sputtering target having a surface roughness Ra on a sputtering surface of 0.5 μm or less and an Svk value measured with a laser microscope on the sputtering surface of 1.1 μm or less.

2. The ceramic sputtering target according to claim 1 , wherein a number of micro-cracks confirmed by observation of a cross-sectional structure in a field of view at magnifications of 10,000 with an electron microscope is 20/mm or less on the sputtering surface.

3. The ceramic sputtering target according to claim 1 , wherein the ceramic sputtering target comprises ITO having a Sn content of from 1 to 10% by mass in terms of SnO 2 .

4. The ceramic sputtering target according to claim 1 , wherein the surface roughness Ra on the sputtering surface is 0.1 μm or more.

5. A method for producing a ceramic sputtering target, the method comprises steps of:
preparing a ceramic sintered body; and subjecting the ceramic sintered body to surface grinding to form a sputtering surface,
wherein a surface roughness Ra on the sputtering surface is 0.5 μm or less, and an Svk value measured with a laser microscope on the sputtering surface is 1.1 μm or less after the surface grinding.

6. The method for producing the ceramic sputtering target according to claim 5 , wherein a grindstone finally used in the surface grinding of the ceramic sintered body has:
a count #400 or more and less than 500, and a degree of concentration of abrasive grains of 125 or more, or
a count #500 or more and less than 800, and a degree of concentration of abrasive grains of 90 or more, or
a count #800 or more, and a degree of concentration of abrasive grains of 75 or more.

7. The method for producing the ceramic sputtering target according to claim 5 , wherein a number of micro-cracks confirmed by observation of a cross-sectional structure in a field of view at magnifications of 10,000 with an electron microscope is 20/mm or less on the sputtering surface after the surface grinding.

8. The method for producing the ceramic sputtering target according to claim 5 , wherein the ceramic sputtering target comprises ITO having a Sn content of from 1 to 10% by mass in terms of SnO 2 .

9. The method for producing the ceramic sputtering target according to claim 5 , wherein the surface roughness Ra on the sputtering surface is 0.1 μm or more.

Assignees

• Jx Nippon Mining & Metals Corp

Inventors

• Mizuguchi Tomoji
• Sasaoka Hidetoshi
• Nakamura Haruhi
• Gorai Atsushi

Classifications

• C04B2235/3293

  Tin oxides, stannates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. indium tin oxide [ITO] · CPC title

• C23C14/086

  of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth · CPC title

• C23C14/3414 Primary

  Metallurgical or chemical aspects of target preparation, e.g. casting, powder metallurgy · CPC title

• C04B2235/77

  Density · CPC title

• C23C14/3407 Primary

  Cathode assembly for sputtering apparatus, e.g. Target · CPC title