Magnetron sputtering is a novel physical vapor deposition technique that offers significant advantages over evaporation-based coating methods in many respects. As a well‑established and mature technology, magnetron sputtering has been widely adopted across numerous applications.

Magnetron sputtering is a novel physical vapor deposition technique in which an electron gun generates and focuses electrons onto the target material, causing atoms ejected from the target to acquire high kinetic energy through momentum transfer and deposit onto the substrate to form a thin film. The material being sputtered is referred to as the sputtering target. Sputtering targets are available in various forms, including metals, alloys, ceramics, and borides. These targets are primarily used in the electronics and information industries—for applications such as integrated circuits, data storage, liquid crystal displays, laser memory devices, and electronic control components—while also finding use in glass coating. Additionally, they are employed in wear‑resistant materials, high‑temperature and corrosion‑resistant coatings, and high‑end decorative products. With continuous advances in technology, display panels are increasingly being adopted across a wide range of sectors, including telecommunications infrastructure, home appliances, and office equipment.

1. Classification of Magnetron Sputtering Targets

Depending on their composition, target materials can be classified into metallic targets, alloy targets, and inorganic non-metallic targets. In turn, inorganic non-metallic targets can be further subdivided into oxide, silicide, nitride, and fluoride types, among others.

Depending on their geometric shape, sputtering targets can be classified into rectangular (cubic) targets, cylindrical targets, and irregularly shaped targets; furthermore, they can also be categorized into solid and hollow types.

Currently, the most common classification method for target materials is based on their application areas, which primarily include targets for semiconductor applications, recording media applications, display thin-film applications, optical applications, and superconducting applications.

Among them, target materials for the semiconductor sector, for recording media, and for display applications constitute the three largest segments in terms of market demand.

2. Application Fields of Magnetron Sputtering Targets

Magnetron sputtering targets are primarily used in the electronics and information industries, including integrated circuits, data storage, liquid crystal displays, electronic control devices, and more. They are also employed in glass coating applications and find use in wear‑resistant materials, high‑temperature corrosion‑resistant coatings, chemical plating, metallic foam materials, and high‑end decorative products.

① Information Storage Industry

In the information storage industry, thin-film products prepared using sputtering targets include hard disks, magnetic heads, optical discs (CD‑R, CD, DVD), and magneto‑optical phase-change discs (MO, CD‑RW, DVD‑KAM).

② Integrated circuit industry

Sputtering targets for integrated circuits account for a significant share of the global target market. Their sputtering products primarily include electrode interconnect films, barrier layers, contact films, optical‑disc masks, capacitor electrode films, and resistive films, among others.

③ Flat-panel display industry

Flat-panel displays include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), electroluminescent displays (E‑L), and field-emission displays (PEDs). Currently, LCDs dominate the flat-panel display market, accounting for as much as 80% of the market share.

④Optical thin-film industry

The target materials commonly used for glass coating include In₂O₃, SnO₂, Co‑Cr, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Sn. For automotive rearview mirrors, the primary target materials are Cr, Al, SnO₂, and TiO₂.

3. Preparation Methods for Magnetron Sputtering Targets

The preparation techniques for magnetron sputtering targets can be broadly classified into two main categories—melting‑casting and powder metallurgy—based on the production process. During target fabrication, in addition to rigorously controlling material purity, density, grain size, and crystallographic orientation, it is also essential to strictly regulate heat‑treatment parameters and subsequent forming and machining steps to ensure target quality.

① Melting and casting method

Compared with the powder metallurgy method, target materials produced by the melt casting process exhibit lower impurity levels and higher density.

② Powder metallurgy method

Typically, the melt‑casting method cannot be used to fabricate sputtering targets made of refractory metals. Moreover, when dealing with two or more metals whose melting points and densities differ significantly, conventional melt‑casting often fails to produce alloy targets with uniform composition.

For inorganic nonmetallic and composite target materials, the melt‑casting method is entirely inadequate, whereas powder metallurgy represents the most effective approach to overcoming the technical challenges associated with their fabrication. Moreover, powder metallurgy offers additional advantages, including the facile attainment of a uniform fine‑grained microstructure, material savings, and high production efficiency.