Sputtering target and method for making composite soft magnetic films with a sintered target
View Patent ↗High-saturation magnetization composite soft magnetic films can be deposited with sintered targets made of preferably at least two kinds of powders/elements with much lower saturation magnetization than that of the deposited soft magnetic films. Such a high-saturation magnetization composite soft magnetic film can be deposited by sputtering a plurality of species from a sintered target that forms a film of a material of higher saturation magnetization than that of the species.
1. A target for magnetron sputtering, comprising a plurality of species that form a film comprising a material of higher saturation magnetization than that of the species, wherein the target is a sintered target.
2. The target of claim 1 , wherein the target is made of at least two kinds of powders of a lower saturation magnetization than that of a film deposited using the target.
3. The target of claim 1 , wherein the target sputters to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness and a substantially uniform composition throughout the film.
4. The target of claim 1 , wherein the target comprises multiple single-phase regions.
5. The target of claim 4 , wherein each single-phase region is less than 1 mm in size.
6. The target of claim 4 , wherein each single-phase region is less than 200 μm in size.
7. The target of claim 4 , wherein the multiple single-phase regions comprise a phase comprising Fe, Ni, B, Co, Ta, Zr, C or combinations thereof.
8. The target of claim 1 , wherein the sintering process is a hot pressing process or a hot isostatic pressing process.
9. The target of claim 1 , wherein the sintered target is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of a simple element, an alloy, a compound and combination thereof.
10. A sputtering source, comprising a magnet and means, made by a sintering process, for sputtering a plurality of species that form a film comprising a material of higher saturation magnetization than that of the species.
11. A sputtering method, comprising disposing a substrate opposite a target, applying a magnetic field to the target, applying a sputtering voltage to the target and sputtering a film on the substrate, the target comprising a plurality of species that form a film comprising a material of higher saturation magnetization than that of the species, wherein the target is a sintered target.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the target is made of at least two kinds of powders of a lower saturation magnetization than that of a film deposited using the target.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the target sputters to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness and a substantially uniform composition throughout the film.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the target comprises multiple single-phase regions.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein each single-phase region is less than 1 mm in size.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein each single-phase region is less than 200 μm in size.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the multiple single-phase regions comprise a phase comprising Fe, Ni, B, Co, Ta, Zr, C or combinations thereof.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sintering process is a hot pressing process or a hot isostatic pressing process.