SBIR Phase I: Development of Continuous Micro Casting Deposition process for rotary targets manufacturing

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响将开发一种创新和高效的先进制造方法，以大幅降低薄层涂层工艺的成本。这项创新将大大降低节能和智能窗户、太阳能电池板、薄膜固态电池、电子显示器等商品的生产成本，从而鼓励社会进一步采用现代和节能技术。因此，这项技术的成功商业化将通过提高建筑效率和太阳能发电，以及改善显示器中具有较低成本组件的先进电子产品的可用性和功能，从而使环境受益。这个SBIR第一阶段项目建议开发一种新的工艺，用于添加制造用于非常高导热系数的贵金属(如银)的旋转溅射靶材。与传统的旋转靶制造工艺(如铸造)相比，其好处包括初始基础设施投资成本降低50%，与其他纯度相当的旋转靶相比，溅射工艺成本降低30%。拟议的研究和开发活动将侧重于克服主要的技术风险和挑战，包括在生产旋转靶材的同时管理高导热金属的大量散热。这项研究还将解决与增加发电能力和创造能够为该行业生产足够大小的靶材的全尺寸原型相关的技术困难。这将是第一种可靠的方法，以具有竞争力的成本生产铸造靶材的均匀细小的颗粒和最低的气体含量的银质旋转靶材。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 project will develop an innovative and efficient advanced manufacturing method to substantially reduce costs of thin coating processes. This innovation will lead to a significant reduction of production costs of goods such as energy-efficient and smart windows, solar panels, thin-film solid-state batteries, electronic displays and many others, therefore encouraging further adoption of modern and energy-efficient technologies in the society. The successful commercialization of this technology will therefore benefit the environment through increased building efficiency and solar generation and improving availability and functionality of advanced electronics with lower cost components in displays. This SBIR Phase I project proposes development of a novel process for additive manufacturing of rotary sputter targets for very high thermal conductivity precious metals, such as silver. Benefits include 50% lower initial infrastructure investment costs compared to the traditional rotary target manufacturing processes (such as casting) and 30% lower sputtering process costs with respect to other rotary targets of comparable purity. The proposed research and development activities will focus on overcoming the main technical risks and challenges, including managing the considerable heat dissipation in highly thermally conductive metals while producing rotary targets. The research will also address technical difficulties related to increasing power capacity and creating a full-scale prototype capable of producing targets of sufficient size for the industry. This will be the first reliable method for producing silver rotary targets with the uniformly small grain size and minimal gas content of a cast target at a competitive cost.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.