Rotating Casting Vessel for Sputtering Target Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for manufacturing cast cylindrical rotary sputtering targets require significant energy and complex equipment due to the separation of melting and casting vessels, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A single integrated casting vessel combines the melt and casting zones, allowing for gravity-fed material transfer and active cooling of the backing tube to reduce defects and energy consumption, with controlled heating and vacuum processing to optimize adhesion and void reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single integrated casting vessel is used to combine melting and casting zones, then device complexity and energy consumption are reduced, but temperature control precision and material transfer control become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The casting vessel is divided into distinct melting zone and casting zone with separate heating control systems. Each zone can be independently temperature-controlled through selective heating, allowing precise temperature management in each region while using a single integrated vessel structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the casting vessel are equipped with different heating capabilities - the melting zone has heating elements for high-temperature melting, while the casting zone has controlled heating for adhesion optimization. This local differentiation enables precise temperature control in each zone without requiring the entire vessel to be uniformly heated.
2Manufacturing precision
If the casting vessel is actively cooled to reduce defects and control grain growth, then material quality improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Active cooling is applied periodically rather than continuously - the backing tube is actively cooled during specific stages of the casting process when material quality is most sensitive to temperature control, such as during grain growth control and defect reduction phases, while heating is used during melting and initial casting phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal state of the system is dynamically changed by switching between heating and cooling modes based on process requirements. The backing tube temperature is adjusted through parameter changes - heated during material transfer to ensure adhesion, then actively cooled during solidification to control grain structure and reduce defects.
3Device complexity
If gravity-fed material transfer is used instead of complex heated piping systems, then device complexity is reduced, but material transfer control precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The casting vessel is rotated to dynamically control material transfer. By adjusting the rotation angle and speed, precise control over when and how material flows from the melting zone to the casting zone is achieved. The gravitational force component along the rotation path provides controlled material movement without complex piping systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex heated piping system with valves is replaced by a rotational mechanical system. Material transfer is controlled through the mechanical rotation of the vessel rather than through pneumatic or mechanical valves in heated pipes, simplifying the overall system while maintaining transfer control.
4Use of energy by moving object
If a single vessel is used instead of separate melting and casting vessels, then energy consumption is reduced, but the ability to independently control temperatures in different zones is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The single vessel is segmented into multiple temperature zones (melting zone and casting zone) with independent heating control. Each zone has its own heating elements or control parameters, allowing independent temperature management within the unified vessel structure, reducing energy loss from heating entire large vessels while maintaining zone independence.
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 simplifies the heating system, reduces energy use, and minimizes defects in the cast material by integrating heating and cooling processes within a single vessel, enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
the pressure inside the casting vessel has been reduced, for example, with a vacuum pump
Implementation Method 2
The melting zone of the casting vessel is heated to a temperature that allows the material to enter a liquid state
Implementation Method 3
the hollow backing tube can be actively cooled using an active cooling mechanism. The speed at which the hollow backing tube is actively cooled can control the rate of growth and size of the grains in the casting material
Implementation Method 4
the casting vessel can be rotated along an axis located between the melting zone and casting zone... the casting vessel will continue to rotate until the melting zone is directly above the casting zone and all the material has transferred from the melting zone to the casting zone
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for manufacturing rotary target materials that allow a material to be cast in a melting zone of a casting vessel while the vessel is rotated such that a melting zone is below a casting zone. The vessel is sealed and the pressure inside the vessel is reduced and the exterior of the vessel is heated. The melting zone of the vessel is heated to a temperature that melts the material and releases any trapped gasses which can be pumped out using the vacuum pump. Once the melting zone and molten material have reached a specified temperature, outgassed, and the casting zone has reached a temperature to maximize adhesion and reduce voids and defects, the vessel is rotated until the melting zone is directly above the casting zone to transfer the material from the melting zone to the casting zone.