Selective Spray Refurbishment of Sputtering Targets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sputtering targets are often discarded prematurely due to irregular erosion patterns, leading to wastage of valuable material and high costs associated with refurbishment processes that are time-consuming and require substantial amounts of sprayed material.
Innovation Solution
A method for partial refurbishment of eroded sputtering targets via spray deposition, specifically targeting deep erosion areas with minimal material usage, allowing for quick and cost-effective extension of target life without the need for complex robotics or extensive surface preparation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional sputtering targets are used until end of life, then sputtering performance is maintained, but valuable target material is wasted due to irregular erosion patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies selective spray deposition only to deep erosion regions (greater than 0.5mm depth) rather than uniformly treating the entire target surface. This local quality approach restores material only where critically needed, minimizing material waste while maintaining sputtering performance consistency by preventing further erosion in already-deep regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial refurbishment by treating only the most severely eroded areas (deep pockets) rather than performing complete surface restoration. This partial action is sufficient to extend target life and maintain performance, avoiding the material waste associated with complete re-deposition while preventing performance degradation.
2Duration of action of moving object
If complete refurbishment of sputtering targets is performed, then target life is extended, but substantial amounts of sprayed material and time are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent focuses spray deposition resources exclusively on deep erosion regions (greater than 0.5mm) rather than treating the entire target surface. This localized approach extends target life by preventing catastrophic failure in critical areas while reducing refurbishment time and material consumption by ignoring shallower regions that do not yet threaten target functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial refurbishment by treating only the most severely eroded areas rather than performing complete surface restoration. This partial action is sufficient to extend target life significantly, reducing both refurbishment time and sprayed material consumption while maintaining adequate sputtering performance.
3Loss of substance
If selective spray deposition on deep erosion regions is performed, then material consumption is reduced, but complex surface contour analysis is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical surface mapping systems with optical scanning technology. Optical scanners use light reflection and triangulation to rapidly measure surface topography and identify deep erosion regions, significantly reducing the difficulty of surface depth measurement while enabling precise material-only deposition in critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the surface measurement problem from mechanical contact probing to optical parameter detection. By using optical scanners that measure surface reflectivity, color, and geometric parameters, the system easily identifies deep erosion regions without the complexity of mechanical surface mapping, enabling selective material deposition with minimal measurement difficulty.
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
The method enables the reuse of sputtering targets with preserved sputtering properties, reducing material consumption and refurbishment time, while maintaining the target's performance and extending its useful life.
Implementation Method 1
particles of the target material are spray deposited to at least partially fill the second eroded region
Implementation Method 2
a sputtering target of the material to be deposited (or a component thereof) is subjected to bombardment by energetic particles (e.g., plasma particles), which thus eject atoms of the target material toward the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
In various embodiments, eroded sputtering targets are partially refurbished by spray-depositing particles of target material to at least partially fill certain regions (e.g., regions of deepest erosion) without spray-deposition within other eroded regions (e.g., regions of less erosion). The partially refurbished sputtering targets may be sputtered after the partial refurbishment without substantive changes in sputtering properties (e.g., sputtering rate) and/or properties of the sputtered films.