A Domestic Pioneer In High-purity Tungsten Target Technology

Background on the technological breakthrough in high-purity tungsten targets

The term “high-purity tungsten sputtering targets” may sound complex and unfamiliar, but they play an indispensable and challenging role in the manufacturing of memory and radio frequency chips. For a long time, this critical material was monopolized by a foreign company.

FOTMA specializes in ultra-high-purity metal materials, with high-purity tungsten sputtering targets being one of its core products. The research and development and production of these materials are crucial for advancing the manufacturing processes of memory and radio frequency chips in China.

Our company’s first independently developed intelligent mass production line for ultra-high-purity tungsten target blanks has successfully commenced production, marking the achievement of full domestic production in raw material preparation, process development, and mass production line design and assembly.

FOTMA Precision Materials has achieved a significant breakthrough in mastering core technologies, successfully breaking its previous dependence on imports. This breakthrough was not achieved overnight, but rather required long-term technical accumulation and unremitting efforts. While tungsten is common in everyday life, producing high-purity tungsten is a highly challenging technology. The company’s research team has dedicated over a decade to the research, development, and application of high-purity refractory metals, ultimately achieving a key technological breakthrough.

Key Preparation Technology

After countless trials and refinements, FOTMA Precision Materials successfully developed a revolutionary high-purity material preparation technology—high-temperature, high-pressure vapor deposition. This technology enables the deep purification of tungsten, a metal with an extremely high melting point, to purity levels exceeding 8N, currently the highest internationally. In materials science, purity is typically measured in “N,” with higher numbers indicating higher purity. For example, tungsten with a purity of 99.999% is designated as 5N, while 99.999999% is designated as 8N.

Achievements in Raw Material Preparation

Today, FOTMA has achieved large-scale production of high-purity tungsten targets, with an annual production capacity of 1,000 pieces, fully meeting domestic market demand and breaking the long-standing reliance on imports for high-purity tungsten. This achievement is the product of the FOTMA team’s tireless efforts and accumulated technological expertise. We have also demonstrated exceptional capabilities in transforming leading technologies into practical productivity. We have successfully developed key equipment such as fully enclosed vapor deposition equipment and vacuum distillation. These equipment features a high degree of automation, ensuring stable and efficient material preparation.

Business-Government Collaboration

Local Support

FOTMA Precision Materials’ development in China has also received strong support from local governments. In recent years, the local government has been committed to developing the third-generation semiconductor industry, forming a competitive semiconductor industry cluster. As a member of this cluster, we have played an active role in strengthening and extending the industrial chain since our establishment.

Future Development

It is worth noting that an article published in the first issue of the 2024 issue of the journal “China Engineering Science” detailed 16 key new materials sub-sectors in emerging and future industries. Key integrated circuit materials topped the list, a field FOTMA has deeply engaged in. Looking ahead, FOTMA will uphold its core philosophy of scientific and technological innovation, continuously promote technological advancement, further expand the depth, breadth, and scope of technology applications, and contribute to the cultivation of new-quality productivity.

Keywords:
tungsten sputtering targets,tungsten target blanks,tungsten targets