# A Review of Grain Refinement and Texture Engineering in Aluminum Alloy Magnetron Sputtering Targets

## TL;DR

This review discusses how refining grain structure and controlling texture in aluminum alloy sputtering targets improves their performance in thin-film applications.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of grain refinement and texture engineering strategies for aluminum sputtering targets, a topic previously lacking in literature.

## Key findings

- Alloying elements like Si, Cu, Sc, and Nd influence grain refinement and texture.
- Thermomechanical processing methods such as rolling and forging affect microstructure and sputtering performance.
- Texture engineering through deformation and heat treatment can tailor target properties for advanced applications.

## Abstract

Aluminum and its alloy magnetron sputtering targets, owing to their superior electrical/thermal conductivity and robust substrate adhesion, serve as critical materials in advanced electronics and information technologies. It is known that the microstructure of the target, including grain uniformity and crystallographic texture, directly affects the sputtering performance and the quality of the deposited thin film. Despite extensive research efforts, the review paper focused on the microstructure of aluminum target materials is still absent. In that context, the recent progress on the Al alloy target is reviewed, focusing on grain refinement and texture control strategies. The roles of alloying elements, such as Si, Cu, and rare-earth Sc and Nd, are described first. The two conventional manufacturing techniques of fabricating Al targets, including melting and powder metallurgy, are introduced. Then, studies on grain refinement by thermomechanical processing routes (hot/cold rolling, annealing and forging) are summarized. Lastly, texture engineering through deformation and heat treatment protocols (unidirectional/multidirectional rolling, deformation thickness, and composite deformation modes) is reviewed. By establishing the relationship between thermomechanical processing and microstructure, this review provides insights for designing high-performance aluminum targets tailored to next-generation advanced thin-film applications.