With the rapid growth of AI and “big data,” the semiconductor industry has undergone tremendous expansion in recent years. As a result, demand for consistent performance, minimized wafer failure, and a solid, reliable supply chain has risen equally.
The powder-based premium tantalum product produced at Materion’s Newton, Massachusetts, site has met the market’s vigorous requirements for decades, offering clear advantages to semiconductor manufacturers serving the world’s largest electronics customers.
In the 1990s, the Newton team developed a process to produce tantalum powder for capacitor applications. Then, as copper-tantalum became more prevalent in semiconductors, the technology was used to produce tantalum sputtering targets with low oxygen levels through powder metallurgy and proprietary technology.
Newton eventually entered into a joint development agreement with a major customer to develop and market targets using this powder metallurgy technology. Over the years, the team has developed a variety of texture-controlled EB-casted and powder products.
The greatest benefits of powder-based sputtering targets such as Materion’s TantElite S26 are stable performance and product consistency, avoiding variations in grain size and texture that can impact sputtering performance. These targets feature stable and fine grain structure throughout the entire plate and are consistent piece to piece and lot to lot. Customers report very few performance issues.
Chamber testing data demonstrates how a sintered tantalum target (Materion’s TantElite S26) achieves film Rs non-uniformity below OEM limits throughout the life of the target.
To ensure product quality, a vigorous process control system was put in place to foster process stability. This system matured rapidly and has remained the same for the past 17 years. Dedicated equipment minimizes contamination and standardizes production routines.
Materion Newton’s dedicated employees also play a significant role by conducting process steps in a highly consistent manner and keeping equipment operating within normal ranges.
And speaking of equipment, Newton has multiple electron-beam furnaces for refining and producing high-purity tantalum at 4N, 4N5, and 5N levels. The facility also has internal testing capability to support process requirements such as GDMS, LECO, ICP and metallography.
Tantalum recycling is critical to sustainability. Newton offers a complete recycling program facilitated by the site’s diverse portfolio. Moreover, Materion itself maintains an RMI-certified tantalum raw material supply chain. Taken together, this helps Newton reduce its carbon footprint and keep its product cost competitive.
With the recent acquisition of a state-of-the-art facility in Dangjin, Korea, Materion can now produce fully finished sputtering targets. We also offer global application and support capabilities in both Taiwan and Korea. Materion looks forward to continuing to develop tantalum sputtering targets with controlled texture and consistent performance for the semiconductor manufacturing industry.