Sputtering Targets High-Quality Thin Film Materials
Advantages AMETEK offers its wrought metal powder manufacturing technology for the fabrication of vacuum sputtering targets. This process provides the following advantages:
Controlled deposition through managed microstructure of grain size and uniformity in sputtered materials.
High purity with uniform sputtered deposits using AMETEK's materials and processes.
Small lot and custom materials made via wrought powder metallurgy.
Full density achieved through the pneumatic isostatic forging (PIF) process.
One-stop shopping for full fabrication services from powders through consolidation to final finished target configurations.
Description AMETEK is extending its successful wrought powder metallurgy technology to the production of vacuum sputtering target materials. For several years, AMETEK has successfully produced metal strip and specialty wire by its wrought metal powder fabrication techniques for a range of materials. These traditional manufactured products have been augmented to include heavy section fabrications as tube, plate, and bar. AMETEK has historically provided high purity materials and repeatable results for its customers through documented processing steps and procedures as evidenced by ISO 9002 certification. This discipline and knowledge is now available to the sputtering target market.
Products and Services
AMETEK is offering a full range of services and products to satisfy the needs of the vacuum sputtering target materials formed from powder materials. Our core services are based on our unique ISOFORMTM technology. The process includes consolidation beginning with cold isostatic pressing (CIP) and finishing with pneumatic isostatic forging (PIF) to provide the desired final density in the material. ISOFORMTM target materials include engineering the powders for particle size and distribution while satisfying purity specifications in order to produce essential properties in the target. Formation of targets by powder processes permits compositions of elements which cannot be efficiently combined by traditional melt techniques. ISOFORMTM products are the highest quality materials available in the marketplace today.
At the core of the ISOFORMTM product is the unique capability through the PIF process to produce fully dense materials. PIF is AMETEK’s patented process for producing high density and controlled microstructure in a variety of materials and forms. The addition of high pressure to the sintering process expedites the attainment of properties by reducing the time and temperature necessary to achieve high performance properties. The application of high stress and plastic deformation makes PIF a true forging process. PIF is a process akin to high tech blacksmithing, i.e., it uses a gas hammer to forge materials to density. PIF differs from hot isostatic pressing (HIP) by its consolidation mechanism and its rapid throughput with a cycle time at pressure of less than two minutes.
Additional manufacturing capabilities are readily available to support material consolidation including roll forming and roll compaction. Ancillary capabilities include a wide range of processes such as sintering, lapping, milling, turning, and grinding to finish simple or intricate designs.
Quality Assurance and Materials Characterization Each step of manufacturing requires various assessments of the microstructure and the chemistry of the material to ensure quality control. One tool used in the analysis is the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Various diagnostic aids will be utilized including an EDAX and a wavelength dispersive system (WDS) micro probes for chemical assessment of the microstructure. SEM will also be used to make photo micrographs, oxygen dot maps, and conduct quantitative metallurgical assessments. Optical microscopy is also used. X-ray analysis is applied when appropriate. All this assessment capability supports the high quality and purity in manufacturing operations at AMETEK. Each target is provided with a Certificate of Analysis and Conformance.
Materials, Shapes, and Sizes A variety of sputtering target materials are available through AMETEK. As a leading supplier of high purity nickel, cobalt, and alloy compositions, AMETEK has unique processing capabilities. Chromium, titanium, aluminum, molybdenum, copper, tungsten, and tantalum as well as ceramic compositions are within the AMETEK capability. Custom compositions and designs are provided by AMETEK via powder material formations by customer specified shapes and sizes. Target configurations are available as cylindrical billets, tubular sleeves, and planar disks and rectangles. A range of target sizes are provided with small ones as single-piece construction and very large units being offered as tiled, multi-piece construction using overlapped and beveled joints.
Sputtering Target Applications AMETEK produced target materials are used in a variety of applications including the electronics, glass and optics industries, as decorative and wear-resistant coatings, and various science and development activities. Foremost, AMETEK will form custom targets per specification. All fabrications are based on powder material as elements, alloys, or composite forms.
