Sputtering Target, Transparent Conductive Film, and Their Manufacturing Method

• US 20120068130A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Company Limited
• Inventors: Inoue, Kazuyoshi, Matsuzaki, Shigeo
• Application Number:
  US13/303,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20120068130A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 252/519.51
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3229 Cerium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3284 Zinc oxides, zincates, cadmium oxides, cadmiates, mercury oxides, mercurates or oxide forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3286 Gallium oxides, gallates, indium oxides, indates, thallium oxides, thallates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. zinc gallate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3287 Germanium oxides, germanates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. copper germanate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3293 Tin oxides, stannates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. indium tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5436 micrometer sized, i.e. from 1 to 100 micron
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5445 submicron sized, i.e. from 0,1 to 1 micron
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6562 Heating rate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6567 Treatment time
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6585 at an oxygen percentage above that of air
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/767 Hexagonal symmetry, e.g. beta-Si3N4, beta-Sialon, alpha-SiC or hexa-ferrites
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/77 Density
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/786 Micrometer sized grains, i.e. from 1 to 100 micron
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/01 based on oxide ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/453 based on zinc, tin, or bismuth oxides or solid solutions thereof with other oxides, e.g. zincates, stannates or bismuthates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/457 based on tin oxides or stannates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/6262 of calcined, sintered clinker or ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62685 characterised by the order of addition of constituents or additives
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62695 Granulation or pelletising devices for shaping artificial aggregates from ceramic mixtures B28B1/004
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/086 of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3414 : Metallurgical or chemical aspects of target preparation, e.g. casting, powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1884 : Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. TCO, ITO
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 : Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A sputtering target including indium oxide and tin oxide, the content by percentage of the tin atoms therein being from 3 to 20 atomic % of the total of the indium atoms and the tin atoms, and the maximum grain size of indium oxide crystal in the sputtering target being 5 μm or less. When a transparent conductive film is formed by sputtering, this sputtering target makes it possible to suppress the generation of nodules on the surface of the target and to conduct the sputtering stably.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A sputtering target, comprising a sintered product of a metal oxide comprising indium oxide, gallium oxide and zinc oxide, the metal oxide comprising one or more hexagonal crystal lamellar compounds selected from In₂O₃(ZnO)_m (wherein m is an integer of 2 to 10), In₂Ga₂ZnO₇, InGaZnO₄, InGaZn₂O₅, InGaZn₃O₆, InGaZn₄O₇, InGaZn₅O₈, InGaZn₆O₉, and InGaZn₇O₁₀, and the sintered product having a composition of 90 to 99% by mass of the indium oxide and 1 to 10% by mass of the total of the gallium oxide and the zinc oxide.

17-18. -18. (canceled)

20. A transparent conductive film, comprising a metal oxide comprising indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide, the metal oxide having a composition of 90 to 99% by mass of the indium oxide, and 1 to 10% by mass of the total of the gallium oxide and the zinc oxide.

21-25. -25. (canceled)