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Abstract <p>Silicon-aluminum (Si-Al) alloy targets are primarily used for depositing SiN<sub>x</sub> films, which serve as indispensable functional layers in fields such as solar cells, and low-emissivity (Low-E) glass. However, Si-Al alloy targets produced via plasma spraying tend to exhibit low density, high oxygen content which leads to the formation of nodules on the target surface during the sputtering process, ultimately causing target failure and significantly compromising the quality of the SiN<sub>x</sub> films. In this study, we improved the density and melting degree of the Si-Al alloy target by optimizing the plasma spraying process. The Si-Al alloy target with a relative density of 94.0% and grain size of 0.6 μm was successfully prepared under the following plasma spraying conditions: spray distance of 120 mm, Ar gas flow rate of 50L&#xa0;min<sup>−1</sup>, H<sub>2</sub> gas flow rate of 4L&#xa0;min<sup>−1</sup>, and spray power of 37 kW. Furthermore, to further reduce the oxygen content in the target, we proposed an in situ oxygen reduction method during plasma spraying by carbon-coating aluminum powder via high-energy ball milling. Finally, Si-Al alloy targets were prepared under identical atmospheric plasma spraying conditions. The oxygen content in the Si-Al alloy target decreased from 0.727 to 0.29 wt.% by adding 4 wt.% carbon powders to the carbon-coated aluminum powder (the content in the Si-Al mixed powder is 0.3 wt.%). Our work proposes a new process to address the oxidation-prone issue of metals during atmospheric plasma spraying, which holds significant implications for the preparation of low-oxygen metal targets.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Preparation of Low-Oxygen and High-Density Si-Al Alloy Targets via Plasma Spraying Technology for SiNx Films Sputtering

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月21日

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  • Hongjun Yuan,
  • Zhipeng Song,
  • Jiahao Guo,
  • Kewen Zhao,
  • Wei Zhang,
  • Junbao Guo,
  • Longzhen Zhang,
  • Jianfeng Li,
  • Lu Wang,
  • Chengyu Hu,
  • Gequan Hu,
  • Xiaofei Li,
  • Peiqiang Li,
  • Xiaochao Wu,
  • Chengduo Wang,
  • Benshuang Sun,
  • Qingkui Li,
  • Jilin He

摘要

Abstract

Silicon-aluminum (Si-Al) alloy targets are primarily used for depositing SiNx films, which serve as indispensable functional layers in fields such as solar cells, and low-emissivity (Low-E) glass. However, Si-Al alloy targets produced via plasma spraying tend to exhibit low density, high oxygen content which leads to the formation of nodules on the target surface during the sputtering process, ultimately causing target failure and significantly compromising the quality of the SiNx films. In this study, we improved the density and melting degree of the Si-Al alloy target by optimizing the plasma spraying process. The Si-Al alloy target with a relative density of 94.0% and grain size of 0.6 μm was successfully prepared under the following plasma spraying conditions: spray distance of 120 mm, Ar gas flow rate of 50L min−1, H2 gas flow rate of 4L min−1, and spray power of 37 kW. Furthermore, to further reduce the oxygen content in the target, we proposed an in situ oxygen reduction method during plasma spraying by carbon-coating aluminum powder via high-energy ball milling. Finally, Si-Al alloy targets were prepared under identical atmospheric plasma spraying conditions. The oxygen content in the Si-Al alloy target decreased from 0.727 to 0.29 wt.% by adding 4 wt.% carbon powders to the carbon-coated aluminum powder (the content in the Si-Al mixed powder is 0.3 wt.%). Our work proposes a new process to address the oxidation-prone issue of metals during atmospheric plasma spraying, which holds significant implications for the preparation of low-oxygen metal targets.

Graphical Abstract