Abstract: A planar ferromagnetic sputter target is provided for use as cathode in the magnetron sputtering of magnetic thin films, wherein the ferromagnetic material has localized regions of differing magnetic permeability. A solid, unitary, planar sputter target is formed from a ferromagnetic material, such as cobalt, nickel, iron or an alloy thereof, and this planar target is subjected to mechanical deformation, heat treatment, and/or thermal-mechanical treatment to create regions within the sputter target having different permeability than adjacent regions. The permeability differences in the ferromagnetic sputter target guides the path of the magnetic flux flow through the target to thereby increase the magnetic leakage flux at the target sputtering surface.

Abstract: There is provided a method for fabricating intermetallic sputter targets of two or more elements in which a mixture of two or more elemental powders are blended and synthesized within a pressing apparatus at a temperature below the melting point of the lowest melting point element in the mixture, followed by heating the synthesized intermetallic powder in the pressing apparatus to a temperature below the melting point of the intermetallic structure while simultaneously applying pressure to the powder to achieve a final density greater than 90% of theoretical density. The powder metallurgy technique of the present invention provides a better microstructure than cast structures, and avoids contamination of the sputter target by eliminating the crushing step of synthesized intermetallic chunks necessitated by separate steps of synthesizing and pressing.

Abstract: Chromium-tantalum oxides (Cr-TaO.sub.x), including chromium-tantalum pentoxide (Cr-Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5), chromium-tantalum tetrioxide (Cr-Ta.sub.2 O.sub.4 or Cr-TaO.sub.2), sputtering targets containing them, and their manufacture are disclosed. The targets are characterized by high density, uniform TaO.sub.x distribution, low impedance and stable plasma during the sputtering. The Cr-Ta oxides are used as a thin film sublayer to improve the coercivity and other characteristics of magnetic recording media deposited on metallic or non-metallic substrates used in hard disks for data storage.