Refractory Metal Chalcogen Sputtering Target Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of targets containing refractory metal elements like Ti, Zr, and Hf is challenging due to high ignitability and melting point differences with chalcogen elements, making it difficult to form large targets with uniform composition for ionization layers in memory devices, which affects the stability and throughput of memory production.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of an alloy ingot with refractory metal elements and additional elements, followed by pulverization and sintering with chalcogen elements, to create a target that can be used for sputtering, reducing the risk of ignition and allowing for the formation of a stable ionization layer using a single target.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a target containing refractory metal elements and chalcogen elements is produced by conventional methods, then the target can be used for sputtering, but the production process faces high ignition risks and difficulty in achieving uniform composition
Solution Approach 1:
The refractory metal elements are pre-alloyed with additional elements to form an alloy ingot before sintering with chalcogen elements. This preliminary alloying reduces the ignitability of refractory metal powders during the sintering process, as the alloy structure suppresses spontaneous combustion while maintaining the desired composition for sputtering target fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the starting materials by using alloy ingots instead of pure metal powders. The alloying process modifies the surface chemistry and reactivity of refractory metal elements, reducing their ignitability during sintering while preserving their ability to form uniform solid solutions with chalcogen elements in the final target.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple targets are used for co-sputtering to form ionization layers, then composition uniformity can be achieved, but the apparatus complexity and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple elements (refractory metal elements, additional elements, and chalcogen elements) into a single integrated sputtering target. This monolithic target structure eliminates the need for co-sputtering multiple separate targets, simplifying the apparatus configuration while maintaining composition uniformity through the homogeneous alloy structure formed during target fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite sputtering target containing refractory metal elements, additional elements, and chalcogen elements in a unified matrix. This composite structure allows all necessary components to be deposited simultaneously from a single target, ensuring uniform composition distribution while reducing apparatus complexity compared to multi-target co-sputtering systems.
3Ease of manufacture
If powder sintering method is used to form targets with refractory metal elements, then the target can be produced, but ignition occurs during sintering due to high ignitability of refractory metal powders
Solution Approach 1:
Additional elements serve as intermediaries between the refractory metal elements and chalcogen elements during the sintering process. These additional elements form alloy structures with refractory metals that reduce the powders' ignitability, while still allowing the final target to achieve the desired composition for ionization layer formation. The intermediary elements effectively mediate the sintering process by suppressing harmful ignition reactions.
4Reliability
If refractory metal elements are used in ionization layers, then memory device performance is improved, but the melting point difference with chalcogen elements makes simultaneous dissolution difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the dissolution parameters by pre-forming alloy ingots with refractory metal elements and additional elements before sintering with chalcogen elements. This preliminary alloying creates a more homogeneous atomic distribution and modifies the local chemical environment, facilitating simultaneous dissolution of all elements during the sputtering process despite the large melting point differences between refractory metals and chalcogen elements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the production of large targets with reduced ignition risks, improving the uniformity of ionization layers and increasing production throughput by simplifying the apparatus and reducing variation in composition among wafers.
Implementation Method 1
The ionization layer of a memory device can be formed using a plurality of targets by co-sputtering
Implementation Method 2
followed by pulverization and sintering with chalcogen elements
Implementation Method 3
followed by pulverization and sintering with chalcogen elements, to create a target that can be used for sputtering
Data Source
AI summary
A target including: at least one refractory metal element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, and lanthanoids; at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ge, Zn, Co, Cu, Ni, Fe, Si, Mg, and Ga; and at least one chalcogen element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te. And a method for producing the target.