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US 10,472,712 B2Granted
Partial spray refurbishment of sputtering targets
AssigneeH.C. Starck GmbH
InventorSteven A. Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In various embodiments, eroded sputtering targets are partially refurbished by spray-depositing particles of target material to at least partially fill certain regions (e.g., regions of deepest erosion) without spray-deposition within other eroded regions (e.g., regions of less erosion). The partially refurbished sputtering targets may be sputtered after the partial refurbishment without substantive changes in sputtering properties (e.g., sputtering rate) and/or properties of the sputtered films.
Claims20
A method of sputtering a target material, the method comprising:
- disposing within a sputtering tool a partially refurbished sputtering target comprising:
- a target plate (i) comprising the target material and (ii) having a surface contour defining (a) a top surface and (b) a recessed region having a surface recessed below the top surface, and
- disposed on the target plate adjacent but not within the recessed region, a layer of unmelted metal powder (i) having a top surface (a) approximately coplanar with the top surface of the target plate or (b) recessed below the top surface to a depth no deeper than a depth of the surface of the recessed region, and (ii) having an interface with the plate disposed at a depth deeper than the surface of the recessed region;
- and
- sputtering target material from the partially refurbished sputtering target.
2 more elements
A method of sputtering a target material, the method comprising:
- disposing within a sputtering tool a partially refurbished sputtering target comprising:
- a target plate (i) comprising the target material and (ii) having a surface contour defining (a) a top surface and (b) a recessed region having a surface recessed below the top surface, and
- disposed on the target plate adjacent the recessed region, a layer of unmelted metal powder (i) having a top surface (a) approximately coplanar with the top surface of the target plate or (b) recessed below the top surface to a depth no deeper than a depth of the surface of the recessed region, and (ii) having an interface with the plate disposed at a depth deeper than the surface of the recessed region;
- and
- sputtering target material from the partially refurbished sputtering target,
- wherein the partially refurbished sputtering target is formed by:
- providing an eroded sputtering target having a surface contour defining (i) an upper surface level, (ii) a first eroded region having a surface depth recessed below the upper surface level, and (iii) a second eroded region having a surface depth deeper than the surface depth of the first eroded region, the eroded sputtering target comprising the target material;
- and
- spray-depositing particles of the target material to at least partially fill the second eroded region without spray-deposition in the first eroded region.
6 more elements
A method of sputtering a target material, the method comprising:
- disposing within a sputtering tool a partially refurbished sputtering target comprising:
- a target plate (i) comprising the target material and (ii) having a surface contour defining (a) a top surface and (b) a recessed region having a surface recessed below the top surface, and
- disposed on the target plate adjacent the recessed region, a layer of unmelted metal powder (i) having a top surface (a) approximately coplanar with the top surface of the target plate or (b) recessed below the top surface to a depth no deeper than a depth of the surface of the recessed region, and (ii) having an interface with the plate disposed at a depth deeper than the surface of the recessed region;
- and
- sputtering target material from the partially refurbished sputtering target,
- wherein the partially refurbished sputtering target is formed by:
- providing an eroded sputtering target having a surface contour defining (i) an upper surface level, (ii) a first eroded region having a surface depth recessed below the upper surface level, and (iii) a second eroded region having a surface depth deeper than the surface depth of the first eroded region, the eroded sputtering target comprising the target material;
- identifying one or more characteristics of the second eroded region;
- spray-depositing particles of the target material to at least partially fill the second eroded region;
- and
- during spray deposition of particles of the target material, preventing deposition of particles of the target material in the first eroded region, whereby the surface depth of the first eroded region remains recessed below the upper surface level thereafter.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.