Everything You Need to Know about Sputtering Targets

What are Sputtering Targets?

The term "target" in "sputtering target" is derived from the shooting target, a concept familiar in everyday life. During the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) process, the coating material is bombarded by an electron or ion beam, similar to how a target gets shot at. This is why the coating material is referred to as a "sputtering target." Understanding the origin of the name makes the term less peculiar.

Heeger Materials Inc. is a professional supplier and manufacturer of high-quality Sputtering Targets, including Tantalum (Ta) Sputtering Targets, Antimony (Sb) Sputtering Targets, ITO Sputtering Targets, Gadolinium (Gd) Sputtering Targets, Chromium (Cr) Sputtering Targets, and more. With extensive expertise in supply and export, we offer competitive prices and customized solutions to meet specific requirements, ensuring exceptional quality and customer satisfaction. You can confidently purchase Sputtering Targets from Heeger Materials Inc.

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Different Types of Sputtering Targets

Sputtering targets encompass a broad range of categories, including metal sputtering targets, alloy sputtering targets, and ceramic sputtering targets. Almost any material—whether an alloy, mixture, pure metal, oxide, nitride, boride, or carbide—can be supplied as a sputter target.

Sputtering Target Types:

• Metal Targets
  • Pure Metal Targets: Composed of a single metal, such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or nickel (Ni).
  • Alloy Targets: Created from two or more metals, such as titanium aluminum alloy (TiAl) or copper aluminum alloy (CuAl).
• Oxide Targets
  • Oxides: Including aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2).
  • Nitrides: Examples include aluminum nitride (AlN) and silicon nitride (Si3N4).
• Carbide Targets
  • Silicon Carbide (SiC): Used for high-temperature resistant materials.
  • Tungsten Carbide (WC): Utilized for manufacturing wear-resistant materials.
• Boride Targets
  • Silicon Boride (BSi): Employed in semiconductor material production.
• Magnetic Material Targets
  • Iron (Fe): Utilized in magnetic recording media and sensors.
  • Nickel Iron (NiFe): Used for magnetic storage devices.
• Semiconductor Material Targets
  • Silicon (Si): Essential in integrated circuit manufacturing.
  • Germanium (Ge): Used in infrared optical devices.

Applications of Sputtering Targets

Sputtering targets are widely used in several industries, including flat panel displays, optical components, energy-saving glass, semiconductors, and solar cells. They are instrumental in preparing magnetic materials and creating decorative coatings, such as metallized films on ceramics, glass, and metal products. Additionally, they are utilized for protective coatings, notably on glasses, masks, car windows, and for creating conductive films in touch screens and flexible electronic devices.

Manufacturing Process of Sputtering Target Materials

Heeger Materials Inc. employs several technologies to produce sputtering target materials. The sputtering target serves as the material in the PVD process for coating thin films on various surfaces. We utilize techniques such as melting, sintering, synthesis, and machining to produce sputtering targets of diverse materials, purity levels, and shapes. The manufacturing process selected depends on material characteristics and final applications. Various types of target materials can be produced using conventional and vacuum hot pressing, cold pressing and sintering, as well as vacuum melting and casting.

Our advanced powder mixing and alloying methods through sintering and melting, along with subsequent grinding, enable us to meet rigorous quality standards. Each production batch undergoes comprehensive analytical tests, and we provide a certificate of analysis with each shipment.

The grain structure of a sputtering target significantly influences its performance. Finer grain sizes reduce variation in film uniformity and deposition rates, while random or equiaxed grain orientation enhances film uniformity. By effectively controlling the grain structure of the target, we ensure higher conversion yields and more consistent deposition processes.

We employ a variety of advanced manufacturing methods to produce sputter targets with exceptional grain structure, sourced from our extensive portfolio of materials in nearly any shape or size. If the specific sputtering target material or purity you need is not listed, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Where to Buy Sputtering Targets in Bulk

Heeger Materials Inc. is a reliable supplier and manufacturer of high-quality sputtering target materials. With extensive expertise in supply and export, we offer competitive pricing and customized solutions to meet specific requirements while ensuring exceptional quality and customer satisfaction. You can confidently purchase sputtering targets from Heeger Materials Inc.

Sputtering targets serve as a physical vapor deposition (PVD) mechanism with numerous applications in modern technology and manufacturing.

In the sputtering process, atoms are expelled from the sputter target with strong magnets, and a controlled gas (commonly argon) is introduced. The atoms then collide in their gaseous state before condensing into plasma and forming a thin film on the substrate.

To learn more, please visit rotary sputter target.

Many everyday products possess coatings created through sputtering materials. These coatings include:

Glass Coating

Sputter coater targets are utilized to create low-radiation coated glass (Low-E glass).

Low-E glass is commonly applied in construction due to its energy-saving properties, light control, and aesthetic appeal.

Optical Coating

Optical coatings are widely used in sunglasses, eyeglasses, vehicle headlights, mirrors, and optical filters in laser technology.

Solar Cell Coating

As the demand for renewable energy rises, the third generation of thin-film solar cells are manufactured using sputter coating technology.

The Cadmium telluride sputtering target (CIGS target) holds a significant share of the solar market.

Semiconductors

Most modern electronic devices include critical components that have been manufactured with tantalum sputtering targets.

These components encompass microchips, memory chips, print heads, flat panel displays, and others.