A copper sputtering target processing method

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of copper sputtering target processing technology, in particular to a copper sputtering target processing technology, which comprises the following steps: material preparation, heating pretreatment, forging forming, annealing treatment, cooling and finishing and inspection. In the cooling and finishing step, pure copper ingots are used to form pure copper target materials through forging processing. When the copper materials are polished, the circumferential direction of the copper materials is circumferentially coated and limited, the central axis of the copper materials is perpendicular to the grinding disc surface for grinding, the plane of the copper materials is rapidly ground, and the purpose of leveling is achieved. Compared with the existing copper sputtering target processing technology, the copper material leveling processing can be more quickly and accurately completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of copper sputtering target processing technology, specifically a copper sputtering target processing technology. Background Technology

[0002] Copper sputtering targets are materials used in physical vapor deposition or sputtering coating processes, commonly used to prepare thin film materials and metal coatings. They possess excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and chemical stability, thus finding wide application in electronics, optics, and magnetic materials.

[0003] Existing processing technologies for copper sputtering targets include: pure copper casting, smelting, chemical vapor deposition, electrodeposition, and powder cold pressing. This invention focuses on the processing technology of pure copper casting for preparing copper sputtering targets. Pure copper casting involves cutting, forging, and extruding pure copper ingots with a purity of 99.99% or higher to deform them into round or square pure copper targets, which are then connected to a backing plate.

[0004] After pure copper ingots are forged and extruded into pure copper sputtering targets, the copper material needs to undergo surface finishing, typically including grinding and polishing. However, existing copper sputtering target processing technology does not impose strict requirements on the grinding process. If the flatness deviation of the copper material is too large during the forming process, the central axis of the copper material will not be perpendicular to the grinding disc during grinding, increasing the grinding difficulty and making it difficult to complete the flat grinding and polishing process. Please refer to the attached instruction manual for details. Figure 1 .

[0005] The invention patent application No. 201110063039.4, published on March 16, 2011, specifically discloses a method for preparing a high-purity copper sputtering target. The method involves forging, extruding, and precision machining a high-purity copper ingot with a copper content of 99.999% or higher. First, the copper ingot is forged. The forged ingot is then subjected to multiple passes of equal-groove angle extrusion. Intermediate annealing is performed between each pass of equal-groove angle extrusion to form a target blank. The target blank is then subjected to multiple cold rolling processes. The cold-rolled target blank is then isothermally quenched. Finally, the isothermally quenched target blank is precision machined to ensure that its dimensional accuracy and surface finish meet the specified requirements, thus forming the target material.

[0006] The technical solution of the aforementioned comparative patent is a process route for forming copper sputtering targets by casting and forging. However, the aforementioned technical solution does not solve the process problem mentioned in this application. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the above problems, this invention provides a copper sputtering target processing technology. Pure copper targets are formed by forging pure copper ingots. During the grinding process, the copper material is circumferentially encased and limited, ensuring that the central axis of the copper material is perpendicular to the grinding disc surface. This achieves rapid and smooth grinding of the copper material, resulting in a flat surface. Compared to existing copper sputtering target processing technologies, this method can achieve faster and more precise flattening of the copper material.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0009] A copper sputtering target processing technology includes the following steps:

[0010] Step a: Material preparation. Select cylindrical copper material with a purity of 99.99% as raw material and clean the surface of the material to remove impurities and oxide layer.

[0011] Step b: Preheating treatment. Place the copper material in a heating furnace for preheating treatment. The preheating temperature is between 700-800℃ and the heating time is 30-50 minutes.

[0012] Step c: Forging and shaping. The preheated copper material is placed on a forging machine and forged into shape.

[0013] Step d, Annealing: After forging, the copper material is annealed at a temperature of 500-600℃ for 1-3 hours.

[0014] Step e, cooling and finishing: Cool the annealed copper material, and then perform surface treatment and finishing on the copper material. Cut, grind and polish the copper material in sequence. During the grinding process, wrap the copper material in a ring to limit its movement, so that the central axis of the copper material is perpendicular to the grinding disc surface, and grind the copper material relative to the grinding disc surface in an S-shaped trajectory.

[0015] Step f, Inspection: The formed copper sputtering target is subjected to quality inspection, including visual inspection, dimensional measurement and chemical composition testing.

[0016] As an improvement, in step e, a plurality of vertically arranged clamping rollers are evenly distributed around the copper material, and the clamping rollers move radially along the copper material to contract and clamp the circumferential edge of the copper material.

[0017] As an improvement, in step e, the clamping roller is driven to contract and clamp the copper material through the cooperation of the rotating ring group and the planetary gear group.

[0018] As an improvement, in step e, the copper material rotates around its central axis through the cooperation of the rotating ring assembly and the planetary gear set, and is ground in an S-shaped trajectory on the surface of the grinding disc by the revolution driven by the grinding disc.

[0019] As an improvement, the rotating ring assembly includes a guide ring and a rotating ring;

[0020] The central notch of the guide ring is used to accommodate the copper material. Guide grooves corresponding to the clamping rollers are evenly distributed radially on the guide ring. The clamping rollers are vertically inserted into the guide grooves.

[0021] The rotating ring is installed parallel to the guide ring. The rotating ring has several arc-shaped waist grooves that are paired with the guide grooves. The clamping rollers pass through the waist grooves. The rotating ring rotates under the drive of the planetary gear set and drives the clamping rollers to move and retract along the guide grooves through the waist grooves.

[0022] As an improvement, the planetary gear set includes a stellar gear, planetary gears, and a ring gear;

[0023] The star wheel is positioned at the center of the grinding disc, and the star wheel is set to rotate by a drive device;

[0024] The planetary gears are concentrically connected to the rotating ring in a one-to-one correspondence. The planetary gears are arranged in a circular array around the star gear, and each planetary gear is meshed with the star gear.

[0025] The gear ring is concentrically arranged with the star gear, the gear ring is arranged around the planet gear, and the gear ring is meshed with the planet gear.

[0026] As an improvement, the clamping roller includes a roller body and a shaft body;

[0027] The roller body is arranged in upper and lower layers and connected by the shaft body. The upper and lower roller bodies directly clamp the rotating ring.

[0028] The shaft passes through the waist groove and the guide groove from top to bottom, and a boss is provided on the shaft to support the guide ring.

[0029] As an improvement, a ball bearing is provided at the bottom of the shaft, which is in contact with the surface of the grinding disc.

[0030] As an improvement, when multiple sets of copper materials are simultaneously ground on the surface of the grinding disc, the spacing between adjacent copper materials is adjusted by the repulsive force between like poles of magnetic components.

[0031] As an improvement, a plurality of magnetic elements are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the upper part of the rotating ring, and the magnetic elements are all arranged radially along the rotating ring.

[0032] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0033] (1) This invention utilizes pure copper ingots to form pure copper target materials through forging. When grinding the copper material, the copper material is circumferentially covered and limited, so that the central axis of the copper material is perpendicular to the grinding disc surface for grinding. This allows the uneven parts on the plane to contact the disc surface first for grinding, achieving the purpose of quickly grinding the copper material to achieve flatness. Compared with the existing copper sputtering target processing technology, it can complete the flatness processing of copper material faster and more accurately.

[0034] (2) The present invention drives the clamping roller on the guide ring to retract by rotating the rotating ring, so that the clamping roller completes the circumferential covering and limiting of the copper material. After the covering and limiting is completed, the rotating ring will drive the copper material to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the grinding disc to achieve the purpose of S-shaped trajectory grinding.

[0035] (3) The present invention sets magnetic components on the rotating ring and uses the repulsive force between the like poles of the magnetic components to adjust the spacing between two adjacent groups of copper materials. This allows multiple groups of copper materials to be quickly positioned and installed on the grinding plate when grinding. Furthermore, if a group of copper materials is misaligned on the ring of the grinding plate during the grinding process, it can quickly return to its original position by relying on the repulsive force.

[0036] In summary, the present invention has advantages such as high processing precision, high plane accuracy of the formed target material, and good metal grain refinement effect of the target material, and is particularly suitable for the processing and preparation technology of copper sputtering targets. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the current grinding state of copper materials;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the process flow of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the copper material grinding process in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the copper material trajectory in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the copper material rotation according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping rollers clamping copper material according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the grinding device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the grinding device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the grinding disc in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0046] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the grinding disc in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0047] Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the grinding disc in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the rotating ring assembly according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the guide ring structure in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the rotating ring according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the three-roller according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the magnetic component in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0053] In the diagram: 1. Clamping roller; 10. Copper material; 11. Roller body; 12. Shaft body; 121. Boss; 122. Ball bearing; 2. Rotary ring assembly; 21. Guide ring; 211. Center notch; 212. Guide groove; 22. Rotary ring; 221. Waist groove; 3. Planetary gear set; 31. Star gear; 32. Planetary gear; 33. Gear ring; 4. Grinding disc; 41. Drive motor; 42. Rotary main shaft; 43. Rotary secondary shaft; 44. Transmission gear set; 5. Magnetic component. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0055] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0056] Example 1:

[0057] like Figures 2 to 3 As shown, a copper sputtering target processing technology includes the following steps:

[0058] Step a: Material preparation. Select cylindrical copper material with a purity of 99.99% as raw material and clean the surface of the material to remove impurities and oxide layer.

[0059] Step b: Preheating treatment. Place the copper material in a heating furnace for preheating treatment. The preheating temperature is between 700-800℃ and the heating time is 30-50 minutes.

[0060] Step c: Forging and shaping. The preheated copper material is placed on a forging machine and forged into shape.

[0061] Step d, Annealing: After forging, the copper material is annealed at a temperature of 500-600℃ for 1-3 hours.

[0062] Step e, cooling and finishing: Cool the annealed copper material, and then perform surface treatment and finishing on the copper material. Cut, grind and polish the copper material in sequence. During the grinding process, wrap the copper material in a ring to limit its movement, so that the central axis of the copper material is perpendicular to the grinding disc surface, and grind the copper material relative to the grinding disc surface in an S-shaped trajectory.

[0063] Step f, Inspection: The formed copper sputtering target is subjected to quality inspection, including visual inspection, dimensional measurement and chemical composition testing.

[0064] It should be noted that the difference between the present invention and the existing forging process of copper targets is that, after the copper material is forged and formed, when the two ends are trimmed, the copper material and the surface of the grinding disc are not in full contact for grinding. Instead, the circumferential direction of the copper material is used as a reference. This is because the circumferential direction of the copper material is a precise circle or square. Taking a circle as an example, the circumferential direction of the copper material is covered by multiple rings, so that the central axis of the copper material is perpendicular to the grinding disc. This ensures that when grinding the copper material, the part of the copper material protruding from the flat surface contacts the grinding disc before other parts, so that the surface of the copper material quickly becomes flat.

[0065] Furthermore, the annular coating of the copper material in this invention is not a rigid clamping coating, but rather a dynamic adaptive adjustment that can be made as the copper material rotates during the grinding process. That is, the faster the grinding disc rotates, the stronger the clamping force of the copper material will be, and the slower the grinding disc rotates, the weaker the clamping force of the copper material will be. In this way, the circumferential accuracy benchmark of the copper material will not be destroyed by the annular coating.

[0066] Example 2:

[0067] Referring to a copper sputtering target processing technology in Example 1, this invention describes a copper grinding apparatus used in step e in Example 2.

[0068] like Figures 2 to 14 As shown, in step e, when the copper material is being ground, several vertically arranged clamping rollers 1 are evenly distributed around the copper material 10. The clamping rollers 1 move radially along the copper material 10 and contract to clamp the circumferential edge of the copper material 10. The part of the clamping roller 1 that contacts the copper material 10 is shaped to conform to the circumferential edge of the copper material 10, thereby increasing the coverage and contact area with the copper material 10.

[0069] Furthermore, in step e, the clamping roller 1 is driven to contract and clamp the copper material through the cooperation of the rotating ring group 2 and the planetary gear group 3.

[0070] Furthermore, in step e, the copper material 10 rotates around its central axis through the cooperation of the rotating ring assembly 2 and the planetary gear set 3, and is ground in an S-shaped trajectory on the surface of the grinding disc 4 by the revolution driven by the grinding disc 4.

[0071] Specifically, the rotating ring assembly 2 includes a guide ring 21 and a rotating ring 22;

[0072] The central notch 211 of the guide ring 21 is used to accommodate the copper material 10. Guide grooves 212, which correspond one-to-one with the clamping rollers 1, are evenly distributed radially on the guide ring 21. The clamping rollers 1 are vertically inserted into the guide grooves 212.

[0073] The rotating ring 22 is installed parallel to the guide ring 21. The rotating ring 22 is provided with a plurality of arc-shaped waist grooves 221 that are paired with the guide grooves 212. The clamping rollers 1 pass through the waist grooves 221. The rotating ring 22 rotates under the drive of the planetary gear set 3, and drives the clamping rollers 1 to move and retract along the guide grooves 212 through the waist grooves 221.

[0074] The planetary gear set 3 includes a star gear 31, planet gears 32, and a gear ring 33;

[0075] The star wheel 31 is located at the center of the grinding disc 4, and the star wheel 31 is set to rotate by a driving device;

[0076] The planetary gears 32 and the rotating ring 22 are concentrically connected in a one-to-one correspondence. The planetary gears 32 are arranged in a circular array around the star gear 31, and each planetary gear 32 is engaged with the star gear 31.

[0077] The gear ring 33 is concentrically arranged with the star wheel 31, the gear ring 33 is arranged around the planet wheel 32, and the gear ring 33 is meshed with the planet wheel 32.

[0078] First, it should be noted that the grinding disc 4 is driven to rotate by the drive motor 41 below in conjunction with the rotating main shaft 42. At the central axis of the grinding disc 4, another rotating secondary shaft 43 is installed. This rotating secondary shaft 43 is used to drive the star wheel 31 to rotate. Both the rotating main shaft 42 and the rotating secondary shaft 43 are driven synchronously by the drive motor 41. A transmission gear set 44 is provided between the rotating main shaft 42 and the rotating secondary shaft 43.

[0079] To further explain, during the copper grinding process, the copper material 10 is first placed in the central notch 211. Then, the grinding disc 4 rotates, and the corresponding star wheel 31 rotates synchronously. After the star wheel 31 rotates, the planet wheel 32 meshing with the star wheel 31 also rotates. After the planet wheel 32 rotates, it drives the rotating ring 22 to rotate. After the rotating ring 22 rotates, it drives the clamping roller 1 to move along the guide groove 212 towards the copper material 10 through the waist groove 221, so that the clamping roller 1 positions the copper material 10 at the center of the rotating ring 22. The copper material 10 is positioned such that after the clamping roller 1 clamps the copper material 10, the axis of the copper material 10 is parallel to the axis of the clamping roller 1 and perpendicular to the grinding disc. Then, since the waist groove 221 can no longer drive the clamping roller 1 to continue moving along the guide groove 212, it instead drives the copper material 10 to rotate along the axis with the rotating ring 22. During the rotation, the grinding disc 4 is still revolving relative to the copper material 10. The combination of the two rotational speeds causes the copper material 10 to be ground in an S-shaped trajectory. The S-shaped trajectory grinding method is similar to figure-eight grinding, which is the highest precision grinding method in the existing grinding process.

[0080] Example 3:

[0081] like Figure 15 As shown, referring to Embodiment 2, the difference between Embodiment 3 and Embodiment 2 is described as follows:

[0082] The clamping roller 1 includes a roller body 11 and a shaft 12;

[0083] The roller body 11 is arranged in upper and lower layers and connected by the shaft body 12. The upper and lower roller bodies 11 directly clamp the rotating ring 22.

[0084] The shaft 12 passes through the waist groove 221 and the guide groove 212 from top to bottom, and the shaft 12 is provided with a boss 121 for supporting the guide ring 21.

[0085] Furthermore, a ball bearing 122 is provided at the bottom of the shaft 12, and the ball bearing 122 is in contact with the surface of the grinding disc 4.

[0086] It should be noted that the roller body 11 is arranged in upper and lower layers to abut and clamp the copper material 10, while the shaft body 12 connects the roller body 11 and passes through the waist groove 221 and guide groove 212. The roller body 11 and the shaft body 12 are connected by threads. The boss 121 is used to bear and limit the guide ring 21 to prevent the guide ring 21 from falling off. The ball bearing 122 is set so that the end of the clamping roller 1 that contacts the grinding disk 4 can roll relative to the grinding disk 4.

[0087] Example 4:

[0088] like Figure 16 As shown, referring to Embodiments 2 and 3, the differences between Embodiment 4 and Embodiments 2 and 3 are as follows:

[0089] When multiple sets of copper materials are simultaneously ground on the surface of the grinding disc 4, the spacing between adjacent copper materials is adjusted by the repulsive force between like poles of the magnetic components 5.

[0090] Furthermore, a plurality of magnetic elements 5 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction on the upper part of the rotating ring 22, and the magnetic elements 5 are all arranged radially along the rotating ring 22.

[0091] First, it should be noted that when the planetary gear set drives the copper material to rotate, in order to facilitate installation, the planetary gears, the stellar gear, and the gear ring are not tightly fitted, but have a certain gap. That is, the stellar gear can drive the planetary gears to rotate, and the planetary gears can also be installed quickly.

[0092] Furthermore, when grinding multiple sets of copper materials simultaneously, if two sets are too close together, the copper powder ground from the front set can affect the grinding of the rear set, causing issues such as copper powder adhering to the copper material. Therefore, maintaining a constant distance between multiple sets of copper materials is essential. By installing magnetic components 5 on the rotating ring 22, the strong repulsive force between like poles of the magnetic components 5 ensures that adjacent sets of copper materials maintain a constant distance. Moreover, during installation, the repulsive force can be used to quickly determine the installation position.

[0093] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A copper sputtering target processing technology, characterized in that... This includes the following steps: Step a: Material preparation. Select cylindrical copper material with a purity of 99.99% as raw material and clean the surface of the material to remove impurities and oxide layer. Step b: Preheating treatment. Place the copper material in a heating furnace for preheating treatment. The preheating temperature is between 700-800℃ and the heating time is 30-50 minutes. Step c: Forging and shaping. The preheated copper material is placed on a forging machine and forged into shape. Step d, Annealing: After forging, the copper material is annealed at a temperature of 500-600℃ for 1-3 hours. Step e, cooling and finishing: The annealed copper material is cooled, and then the copper material undergoes surface treatment and finishing. The copper material is cut, ground and polished in sequence. During the grinding process, several vertically arranged clamping rollers are evenly distributed around the circumference of the copper material. The clamping rollers move radially along the copper material and contract to clamp the circumferential edge of the copper material. The clamping rollers are driven by the cooperation of the rotating ring group and the planetary gear group to contract and clamp the copper material, so that the central axis of the copper material is perpendicular to the grinding disc surface, until the clamping rollers can no longer be driven to move. Then, the clamping rollers drive the copper material to rotate around the central axis through the cooperation of the rotating ring group and the planetary gear group. At the same time, the copper material is ground in an S-shaped trajectory on the grinding disc surface through the revolution driven by the grinding disc. Step f, Inspection: The formed copper sputtering target is subjected to quality inspection, including visual inspection, dimensional measurement and chemical composition testing.

2. The copper sputtering target processing technology according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating ring assembly includes a guide ring and a rotating ring; The central notch of the guide ring is used to accommodate the copper material. Guide grooves corresponding to the clamping rollers are evenly distributed radially on the guide ring. The clamping rollers are vertically inserted into the guide grooves. The rotating ring is installed parallel to the guide ring. The rotating ring has several arc-shaped waist grooves that are paired with the guide grooves. The clamping rollers pass through the waist grooves. The rotating ring rotates under the drive of the planetary gear set and drives the clamping rollers to move and retract along the guide grooves through the waist grooves.

3. The copper sputtering target processing technology according to claim 2, characterized in that: The planetary gear set includes a stellar gear, planetary gears, and a ring gear; The star wheel is positioned at the center of the grinding disc, and the star wheel is set to rotate by a drive device; The planetary gears are concentrically connected to the rotating ring in a one-to-one correspondence. The planetary gears are arranged in a circular array around the star gear, and each planetary gear is meshed with the star gear. The gear ring is concentrically arranged with the star gear, the gear ring is arranged around the planet gear, and the gear ring is meshed with the planet gear.

4. The copper sputtering target processing technology according to claim 3, characterized in that: The clamping roller includes a roller body and a shaft; The roller body is arranged in upper and lower layers and connected by the shaft body. The upper and lower roller bodies directly clamp the rotating ring. The shaft passes through the waist groove and the guide groove from top to bottom, and a boss is provided on the shaft to support the guide ring.

5. The copper sputtering target processing technology according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the shaft is provided with ball bearings, which are in contact with the surface of the grinding disc.

6. The copper sputtering target processing technology according to claim 2, characterized in that: When multiple sets of copper materials are simultaneously ground on the surface of the grinding disc, the spacing between adjacent copper materials is adjusted by the repulsive force between like poles of magnetic components.

7. The copper sputtering target processing technology according to claim 6, characterized in that: The upper part of the rotating ring is evenly distributed with a plurality of magnetic elements along its circumferential direction, and the magnetic elements are all arranged radially along the rotating ring.

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