Silver-alloy based sputtering target

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sputtering target comprising a silver alloy that contains 5-25% by weight of palladium, based on the total amount of silver alloy, and has a mean grain size in the range of 25-90 μm.

1 . A sputtering target comprising a silver alloy
 that contains 5-25% by weight of palladium, based on the total amount of silver alloy, and   has a mean grain size in the range of 25-90 μm.   
     
     
         2 . The sputtering target as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the silver alloy has a variation of grain size of less than 15%, and/or the grains of the silver alloy have a mean axial ratio of at least 60%. 
     
     
         3 . The sputtering target as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the silver alloy has a variation of the intensity ratio between the secondmost intensive X-ray diffraction reflection and the most intensive X-ray diffraction reflection of less than 35%, and/or the silver alloy has an oxygen content of less than 100 ppm by weight. 
     
     
         4 . The sputtering target as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein further metallic elements, where present, are present in the silver alloy in total in an amount of less than 0.5% by weight. 
     
     
         5 . A process for producing the sputtering target as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein
 a melt containing silver and palladium is allowed to solidify in order to obtain a shaped body,   the shaped body is heated to a forming temperature of at least 200° C. and then subjected to at least one forming step,   and the shaped body is in addition subjected to at least one recrystallization.   
     
     
         6 . The process as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the forming step is a rolling, a forging, a swaging, a stretching, an extrusion or a pressing. 
     
     
         7 . The process as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the rolling is a cross-rolling. 
     
     
         8 . The process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each forming step is carried out at a forming rate of at least 2.5 s −1 . 
     
     
         9 . The process as claimed  claim 1 , wherein the shaped body is subjected to at least one dynamic recrystallization and/or at least one static recrystallization. 
     
     
         10 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the dynamic recrystallization takes place during the forming, and/or the static recrystallization proceeds after the last forming step. 
     
     
         11 . The process as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the forming temperature to which the shaped body is heated before the first forming step is at least 500° C., and/or the static recrystallization after the last forming step proceeds via an annealing at an annealing temperature of at least 500° C. 
     
     
         12 . The process as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the shaped body is quenched after the static recrystallization. 
     
     
         13 - 14 . (canceled)