High integrity sputtering target material and method for producing bulk quantities of same

Abstract

A method of making metal plates as well as sputtering targets is described. In addition, products made by the process of the present invention are further described. The present invention preferably provides a product with reduced or minimized marbleizing on the surface of the metal product which has a multitude of benefits.

1 . A method of making a sputtering target, comprising: 
 providing a slab comprising at least one metal;    a first rolling of said slab to form an intermediate plate, wherein said first rolling includes a plurality of rolling passes; and    a second rolling of said intermediate plate to form a metal plate, wherein said second rolling includes a plurality of rolling passes, and wherein each of said rolling passes of said second rolling imparts a true strain reduction of about 0.2 or more.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a true strain reduction imparted by said second rolling is from about 0.25 to about 2.0 of a true strain reduction imparted by said first rolling.  
   
   
       3 . (canceled)  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said first rolling comprises a rolling schedule defined by changes in mill gap settings.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a final rolling pass of said second rolling imparts a true strain reduction that is equal to or greater than a true strain reduction imparted by any other rolling pass.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one metal is niobium, tantalum, or an alloy thereof.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one metal is copper or titanium or alloys thereof.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising annealing said slab.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said annealing is under vacuum or inert conditions at a temperature of from about 70° to about 1500° C. for a time of from about 30 minutes to about 24 hours.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing said slab with two opposing rolling surfaces that are flat to within about 0.02 inches.  
   
   
       11 .- 13 . (canceled)  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said intermediate plate has a thickness of from about 0.75 to about 1.5 inches.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said intermediate plate has a length that is greater than a length of said slab by about 10% or less.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising annealing said intermediate plate.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said annealing is under vacuum or inert conditions at a temperature of from about 700 to about 1500° C. for a time of from about 30 minutes to about 24 hours.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said rolling passes of said second rolling is in a transverse direction relative to at least one of said rolling passes of said first rolling.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said rolling passes of said second rolling are multi-directional.  
   
   
       20 . A metal plate formed by the method of  claim 1 .  
   
   
       21 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein said valve metal plate has an average grain size of 20 microns or less.  
   
   
       22 .- 23 . (canceled)  
   
   
       24 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein 95% of the grains have a diameter of less than 100 micron.  
   
   
       25 - 29 . (canceled)  
   
   
       30 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein said valve metal plate is substantially free of surface marbleizing.  
   
   
       31 .- 34 . (canceled)  
   
   
       35 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein surface area is comprised of less than 5% of lustrous blotches after sputter or chemical erosion.  
   
   
       36 . (canceled)  
   
   
       37 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein said valve metal plate has a texture that is substantially void of textural bands.  
   
   
       38 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein said valve metal plate has a uniform texture throughout a thickness thereof.  
   
   
       39 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein said valve metal plate has a primary ( 111 ), a primary ( 100 ), or a mixed ( 111 ) ( 100 ) texture on the surface and/or a transposed primary ( 111 ), a transposed primary ( 100 ), or a mixed transposed ( 111 ) ( 100 ) throughout a thickness thereof.  
   
   
       40 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein the overall change in pole orientation (Ω) measured through the thickness of the plate is less than 50/mm, as measured by: 
 selecting a reference pole orientation;    scanning in increments a cross-section of said plate or portion thereof having a thickness with scanning orientation image microscopy to obtain actual pole orientations of a multiplicity of grains in increments throughout said thickness;    determining orientation differences between said reference pole orientation and actual pole orientations of a multiplicity of grains in said plate or portion thereof;    assigning a value of misorientation from said references pole orientation at each grain measured throughout said thickness;    determining an average misorientation of each measured increment throughout said thickness; and    obtaining texture banding by determining a second derivative of said average misorientation of each measured increment through said thickness, is less than 50/mm.    
   
   
       41 .- 43 . (canceled)  
   
   
       44 . The metal plate of  claim 20 , wherein the scalar severity of texture inflection (A) measured through the thickness of the plate is less than 5/mm as measured by: 
 selecting a reference pole orientation;    scanning in increments a cross-section of said plate or portion thereof having a thickness with scanning orientation image microscopy to obtain actual pole orientations of a multiplicity of grains in increments throughout said thickness;    determining orientation differences between said reference pole orientation and actual pole orientations of a multiplicity of grains in said plate or portion thereof;    assigning a value of misorientation from said references pole orientation at each grain measured throughout said thickness;    determining an average misorientation of each measured increment throughout said thickness; and    obtaining texture banding by determining a second derivative of said average misorientation of each measured increment through said thickness, is less than 5/mm.    
   
   
       45 .- 47 . (canceled)  
   
   
       48 . A sputtering component formed from a metal plate of  claim 20 .  
   
   
       49 .- 51 . (canceled)