Process for the refurbishing of a sputtering target
AssigneeWilliams Advanced Materials, Inc.
InventorsRobert Acker, Adrish Ganguly, Matthew T. Willson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed in this specification is a process for refurbishing a spent sputtering target. The process includes the step of applying sufficient heat and axial force to the filled sputtering target to hot press the filled sputtering target such that the powdered metal fuses with the un-sputtered metal, producing a refurbished target. The process may be used to refurbish precious metal targets, such as ruthenium targets.
Claims20
A process for refurbishing a spent sputtering target comprising the steps of:
- receiving a spent sputtering target comprised of an un-sputtered metal, wherein the spent sputtering target has a depleted region,
- disposing the filled sputtering target within a hot press die,
- filling the depleted region with a powder of the metal, either before or after the step of disposing the sputtering target within the hot press die, thus producing a filled sputtering target, and
- applying sufficient heat and axial force to the filled sputtering target to hot press the filled sputtering target such that the powdered metal fuses with the un-sputtered metal, producing a refurbished target.
A process for refurbishing a spent sputtering target comprising the steps of:
- receiving a spent sputtering target consisting essentially of an un-sputtered metal, wherein the spent sputtering target has a depleted region,
- identifying a desired weight of a refurbished target,
- determining the weight of the spent sputtering target,
- measuring a metal powder such that the total weight of the powder and the spent sputtering target is equal to the desired weight of the refurbished target, wherein the metal powder consists essentially of a single metal,
- disposing the filled sputtering target within a hot press die,
- filling the depleted region with the metal powder, either before or after the step of disposing the sputtering target within the hot press die, thus producing a filled sputtering target, and
- applying sufficient heat and axial force to the filled sputtering target to hot press the filled sputtering target such that the powdered metal fuses with the un-sputtered metal, producing a refurbished target.
A process for refurbishing a spent sputtering target comprising the steps of:
- receiving a spent sputtering target that consists essentially of un-sputtered ruthenium, wherein the spent sputtering target has a depleted region,
- identifying a desired weight of a refurbished target,
- determining the weight of the spent sputtering target,
- measuring a sample of powdered ruthenium such that the total weight of the powdered ruthenium and the spent sputtering target is equal to the desired weight of the refurbished target,
- disposing the sputtering target within a hot press die,
- filling the depleted region with the powdered ruthenium, either before or after the step of disposing the sputtering target within the hot press die, thus producing a filled sputtering target, and
- applying sufficient heat and axial force to the filled sputtering target to hot press the filled sputtering target such that the powdered ruthenium fuses with the un-sputtered ruthenium, producing a refurbished target.
A hot press die comprising a cavity circumscribed by a side wall, wherein the side wall has a thickness corresponding to an asymptote of the following function:
- σ
- 3
-
- (
- r
- i
- )
- =
- P
- i
- (
- (
- r
- 0
- r
- i
- )
- 2
- +
- 1
- (
- r
- 0
- r
- i
- )
- 2
- -
- 1
- )
- where Pi is an internal pressure, r0 is an outer radius of the hot press die, and ri is an inner radius of the die, wherein the thickness is the difference between ri and r0.
A hot press die comprising a cavity for receiving a spent sputtering target, wherein the cavity has an inner diameter and the hot pressed die has an outer diameter, and the ratio of the outer diameter to the inner diameter is about 2.36.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.