SINTERED SPUTTERING TARGET MATERIAL FOR FORMING RECORDING LAYER OF MAGNETO-OPTICAL RECORDING MEDIUM EXHIBITING EXCELLENT CRACKING RESISTANCE UNDER HIGH SPUTTERING POWER

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sintered sputtering target material for forming a recording layer of a magneto-optical recording medium which exhibits excellent cracking resistance under high sputtering power.;SOLUTION: The sintered sputtering target material consists of a press sintered body. The press sintered body has (a) a composition containing rare earth metals consisting of 41 to 49 mass% of one or more kinds selected from Tb, Gd and Dy, and the balance transition metals consisting of Fe or essentially consisting of Fe and containing Co or essentially consisting of Fe and containing Co and Cr with inevitable impurities. The press sintered body has (b) a structure consisting of: dispersed phases essentially consisting of an intermetallic compound satisfying the compositional formula of RT3 by atomic ratio wherein the rare earth metals are expressed by R, and the transition metals are expressed by T by structural observation with a scanning electron microscope; and continuous phases (skeletal structural phases) existing among the dispersed phases and essentially consisting of an intermetallic compound satisfying the compositional formula of R6T23. In the dispersed phases, a fine intermetallic compound satisfying the compositional formula of R2T17 is dispersedly distributed simultaneously with the intermetallic compound satisfying the compositional formula of R6T23. The press sintered body also has a theoretical density ratio of ≥90%.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2002,JPO