William Robert Heckman

US Patent:

20090107837, Apr 30, 2009

Filed:

Oct 29, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/927325

Inventors:

Wuwen Yi - Tempe AZ, US
William Heckman - Montague MI, US
Bernd Kunkel - Phoenix AZ, US
Carl Derrington - Tempe AZ, US
Patrick Griffin - Chandler AZ, US

Assignee:

HERAEUS INC. - Chandler AZ

International Classification:

C23C 14/14
B22F 9/04
B22F 1/00
C22C 5/04

US Classification:

20429813, 75353, 419 62, 419 30, 75347, 420462

Abstract:

A method of recycling ruthenium (Ru) and Ru-based alloys comprises steps of: providing a solid body of Ru or a Ru-based alloy; segmenting the body to form a particulate material; removing contaminants, including Fe, from the particulate material; reducing the sizes of the particulate material to form a powder material; removing contaminants, including Fe, from the powder material; reducing oxygen content of the powder material to below a predetermined level to form a purified powder material; and removing particles greater than a predetermined size from the purified powder material. The purified powder material may be utilized for forming deposition sources, e.g., sputtering targets.

US Patent:

20120111723, May 10, 2012

Filed:

Jan 13, 2012

Appl. No.:

13/350638

Inventors:

Wuwen Yi - Tempe AZ, US
William Heckman - Montague MI, US
Bernd Kunkel - Phoenix AZ, US
Carl Derrington - Tempe AZ, US
Patrick Griffin - Chandler AZ, US

Assignee:

HERAEUS INC. - Chandler AZ

International Classification:

C22C 5/04
C23C 14/06

US Classification:

20429813, 420462

Abstract:

A recycled deposition source is ruthenium (Ru) or Ru-based alloy material in the form of a powder material having a size not greater than a 325 mesh size and having an average tap density greater than about 5 gm/cm. The power material may be non-porous and not agglomerated The recycled deposition source may have less than about 500 ppm of iron and less than about 500 ppm of oxygen. The recycled deposition source may be a recycled Ru or RuCr deposition source, where the recycled Ru or RuCr deposition source has a density comparable to a density of a Ru or RuCr deposition source fabricated from virgin Ru or RuCr powder material, and has a hardness greater than a hardness of a Ru or RuCr deposition source fabricated from virgin Ru or RuCr powder material. The recycled deposition source may be in the form of a sputtering target.