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High-purity metal sputtering target is one of the key basic materials for integrated circuits. Self-dependence of the sputtering targets is vital for the high-quality development of the integrated circuit industry in China. This study analyzes the application demand for and development status of high-purity metal sputtering targets for integrated circuits, involving high-purity aluminum and aluminum alloys, high-purity copper and copper alloys, high-purity titanium, high-purity tantalum, high-purity cobalt, high-purity nickel platinum, and high-purity tungsten and tungsten alloys. Moreover, it summarizes the challenges regarding the key manufacturing technologies and engineering application of high-performance sputtering targets in China and proposes several major development directions based on the development goals of the field by 2030. Specifically, China needs to improve its material processing technologies, focus on the key technologies for high-performance target processing, develop high-end new materials according to frontier demands, and improve the capabilities of material analysis, testing, and application evaluation. Furthermore, the following suggestions are proposed: establishing an industry-education-research-application system, realizing the domestic manufacturing of key equipment, strengthening talent team construction, establishing an independent intellectual property system, and expanding international exchange and cooperation,thereby promoting the development quality and level of high-purity metal sputtering targets.

Al-Sc alloys containing high Sc content are employed as sputtering targets for the fabrication of high-performance piezoelectric films during magnetic sputtering. Due to the high proportion of the Al3Sc phase, their workability is quite limited, and they are often used in the as-cast state. In this study, the crystallography of Al3Sc dendrites in as-casted Al-10at.%Sc and Al-20at.%Sc samples is examined using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). With increasing Sc content, the fraction of Al3Sc also increases. The Al3Sc dendrites exhibit a cubic relationship with the Al matrix in both alloys. However, in Al-10%Sc alloys, the facets of the Al3Sc dendrites are parallel to {001} planes, while twinning is observed in Al-20at.%. The twinning plane is parallel to the {111} plane, and the dendrite growth direction aligns with the <110> directions. The different morphologies of the dendrite structures in these two alloys are discussed in relation to thermodynamic and kinetic considerations based on the phase diagram and nucleation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]