The Isostatic Molding of ITO target Molding and The Usage of ITO Targets
As we all know, ITO sputtering target is a black gray ceramic semiconductor formed by mixing indium oxide and tin oxide powder in a certain proportion in a high temperature atmosphere (1600 degrees, oxygen sintering) through a series of production processes. ITO target was used as raw material to oxidize ITO film to glass substrate or flexible organic film by magnetron sputtering. ITO film has conductivity and light transmission, and its thickness is generally 30nm ~ 200nm.
Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) can be considered as pressure sintering or high temperature pressing. Compared with traditional press-free sintering, hot isostatic pressing can make the material completely compact at a lower temperature (generally about 0.5 ~ 0.7 times the melting point of the material). It can control the structure well, restrain grain growth and obtain uniform and isotropic structure. The process of ITO target preparation by hot isostatic pressing is as follows. Firstly, ITO solid solution powder was partially reduced in a certain reducing atmosphere (such as a mixture of H2, N2 and H2) and at 300-500 ℃. The reduced powder is then pressed into preforms by molding or cold isostatic pressing. The preforms are placed in stainless steel containers with insulation between them. The container is then vacuumed and sealed. Finally, ITO target material was prepared by placing the container in a hot isostatic pressure furnace at 800 ~ 1050℃ and 50 ~ 200MPa for 2 ~ 6 hours.
Cold isostatic pressing (CIP) takes rubber or plastic as cover material and liquid as pressure medium to deliver super high pressure at room temperature. Under the protection of low pressure oxygen atmosphere, ITO powder was pressed into large ceramic prefabricated rod by cold isostatic pressing, and then sintered at 1500~1600℃ in the pure oxygen environment of 0.1~0.9 MPa. This method can theoretically produce ceramic targets with a density of 95%.
What is ITO sputtering target used for?
ITO sputtering targets and their derivatives such as ITO thin films and ITO glass are widely used in various industries. ITO targets are often used to make transparent and conductive coatings for liquid crystal displays (LCD), flat panel displays, plasma displays and touch panels. ITO thin films are used for organic light-emitting diodes, solar cells and antistatic coatings. In addition to the electronics industry, ITO targets are also used for a variety of optical coatings, most famous for infrared reflection coatings and automotive sodium vapor lamp glass.
