Fe-Co based target material and method for producing the same

Abstract

There is disclosed a method for producing a Fe—Co based target material for forming a soft magnetic thin-film. This method comprises the steps of: preparing a first raw-material powder having an Fe:Co weight ratio ranging from 8:2 to 7:3 and a second raw-material powder having an Fe—Co weight ratio ranging from 2:8 to 0:10; mixing the first raw-material powder and the second raw-material powder together to obtain a powder mixture having an Fe:Co weight ratio ranging from 8:2 to 2:8; and applying a pressure of not less than 100 MPa to the powder mixture at a temperature ranging from 1073 to 1473 K for consolidation. At least one additional element selected from the group consisting of Nb, Zr, Ta and Hf is added to either one or both of the first and second raw-material powders in a total amount of 3 to 15 atom % with respect to the total amount of the powder mixture. The Fe—Co based target material thus produced has a high density, while having a magnetic permeability lower than the conventional one.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 128224 / 2006 filed on May 2, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This invention relates to a Fe—Co based target material for forming a soft magnetic thin-film by a sputtering method, and a method for producing the target material. BACKGROUND ART [0003] The recent progress in the magnetic recording technology is remarkable, and the record densities of magnetic record media are being heightened for increasing capacities of drives. In the magnetic record media for the longitudinal magnetic recording systems currently used worldwide, however, an attempt to realize a high record density leads to refined record bits, which require a high coercivity to such an extent that recording cannot be made with the record bits. In view of this, a perpendicular magnetic recording system is under study as a means of solving these...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an Fe—Co based target material and a method for producing the Fe—Co based target material capable of ensuring a high density and lowering the magnetic permeability than conventional targets so that the thickness of the target material can be increased to improve productivity of thin-films.

Problems solved by technology

In the magnetic record media for the longitudinal magnetic recording systems currently used worldwide, however, an attempt to realize a high record density leads to refined record bits, which require a high coercivity to such an extent that recording cannot be made with the record bits.

Since the magnetron sputtering method has a feature of leaking the magnetic flux on the sputtering surface of the target material, in the case where magnetic permeability of the target material itself is high, it is difficult to form, on the sputtering surface of the target material, the leaked magnetic flux necessary and sufficient for the magnetron sputtering method.

However, in the foregoing conventional technique, since the magnetic permeability is not sufficiently low, the maximum thickness of the target material is about 5 mm.

If the thickness exceeds 5 mm, leaked magnetic flux is insufficiently created on the surface of the target material, causing a problem that a magnetron sputtering cannot be performed normally.