2024/12/04
Rare earth targets are targets made of rare earth elements or alloys to produce thin film materials. In thin film preparation technologies such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the material is deposited on the substrate by sputtering or evaporating the target to form a thin film or coating. Rare earth targets have important applications in preparing materials in high-tech fields due to their high melting point, excellent thermal stability, special electromagnetic properties, and other characteristics.
Classification method
Rare earth targets can be divided into two categories according to their composition: single rare earth element targets and rare earth alloy targets. Each category can be further divided into multiple types according to the specific rare earth elements or alloy components.
1. Single rare earth element target: This type of target mainly includes single elements from 17 rare earth elements (including lanthanide elements and scandium and yttrium) as targets. For example, scandium(Sc), ytterbium(Yb), yttrium(Y), etc., they each possess unique physicochemical properties, such as low power functions and high iron oxide characteristics, making them suitable for the preparation of specific thin film materials.
2. Rare earth alloy target: This type of target is made of two or more rare earth elements or rare earth elements alloyed with other elements (such as iron, nickel, cobalt, etc.). Rare earth alloy targets, such as, AlNd not only inherit the characteristics of individual rare earth elements, but also improve the comprehensive properties of the material through alloying, including improving conductivity and expanding the application range.
Preparation technology of rare earth targets
The preparation methods of rare earth targets mainly include smelting, electroplating, thermal spraying, etc. Each method has its specific application scenarios and advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right preparation technology is crucial to ensure the quality and performance of the target.
Melting method
The smelting method is one of the most commonly used methods for preparing rare earth targets. It melts rare earth elements or their alloys at high temperatures and then solidifies them into targets of the desired shape and size under specific cooling conditions.
Advantages: It can produce high-purity and high-uniformity targets, which are suitable for applications with high requirements for the performance of thin film materials.
Disadvantages: Its cost is relatively high and it also has high equipment requirements.
Powder metallurgy method
Powder metallurgy is the process of molding rare earth metal or alloy powders, using cold press molding, and then completing the densification through hot isostatic pressing, vacuum sintering, etc. to form targets.
Advantages: simple process, high utilization of raw materials, high densification, easy engineering.
Disadvantages: limited purity.
Application areas of rare earth targets:
Applications in semiconductor manufacturing
In the semiconductor industry, rare earth targets are mainly used to prepare high-performance insulating layers, conductive layers, and doping materials. Rare earth elements such as scandium and gadolinium are widely used in the manufacture of advanced 5G filters, microprocessors and storage devices. Especially in high-k materials and metal gate technology, the application of rare earth targets has greatly improved the performance of devices, reduced energy consumption, and provided important support for the advancement of microelectronics technology.
Application in optoelectronic materials
The application of rare earth targets in the optoelectronic field is mainly concentrated in the production of OLED and photovoltaic materials. Rare earth elements, such as europium (Eu) and terbium (Tb), are used to prepare high-brightness and long-life LED light sources due to their unique luminescence properties. Besides, rare earth targets are also used to produce laser materials with specific wavelength laser output, which are widely used in medical, communication, and industrial processing fields. In the field of solar cells, the application of rare earth elements can improve the efficiency of solar energy conversion and promote the development of photovoltaic technology.
Application in the field of new energy
The application of rare earth targets in the field of new energy is mainly the new energy vehicles. Rare earth permanent magnets for new energy vehicles and compressors can reduce the amount of high-priced rare earth metals by 90% through the penetration of rare earth terbium and dysprosium target films, which are used to produce high-performance permanent magnet materials.
发表回复