JPWO2019220675A1 - Sputtering target and manufacturing method of sputtering target - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a sputtering target capable of reducing the generation of particles and improving the production yield in the film forming process of a magnetic thin film, and a method for producing the same. A sputtering target having an Fe-Pt-based alloy phase and a non-magnetic phase, which contains 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio and has a diffraction peak derived from diamond in XRD measurement.

Description

The present invention relates to a sputtering target and a method for manufacturing the sputtering target.

Fe-Pt-based alloys or Co-Pt-based alloys are attracting attention as materials having high magnetic anisotropy as a recording layer for perpendicular magnetic recording of a magnetic recording medium and having high corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance. When a Fe-Pt-based alloy or a Co-Pt-based alloy is used as a material for an ultra-high density recording medium, the ordered Fe-Pt magnetic particles or Co-Pt particles are magnetically isolated as much as possible. A sputtering target containing carbon (C) as a non-magnetic phase is known because it needs to be dispersed in a high density.

For example, in International Publication No. 2012/133166 (Patent Document 1), carbon black is prepared as Fe powder, Pt powder, and C particles, and after weighing these, they are mixed / pulverized, hot-pressed, hot, etc. An example of a sputtering target for an Fe-Pt-based magnetic recording film containing C is described by producing a sintered body under pressure.

According to International Publication No. 2014/132746 (Patent Document 2), FePt-C-based sputtering targets containing Fe, Pt and C, in which Cs of primary particles containing unavoidable impurities are contained in the FePt-based alloy phase. Examples of FePt-C based sputtering targets having a structure dispersed so as not to come into contact with each other are described.

International Publication No. 2012/133166 International Publication No. 2014/132746

However, when the magnetic material target using carbon (C) is sputtered, a large amount of particles due to C particles are generated, which may deteriorate the yield of the film forming process of the magnetic thin film. Both the inventions described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have obtained a certain effect in the measures for suppressing the generation of particles, but cannot be said to be sufficient yet.

In view of the above problems, the present embodiment provides a sputtering target capable of reducing the generation of particles and improving the production yield in the film forming process of the magnetic thin film, and a method for producing the same.

The sputtering target according to the embodiment of the present invention is a sputtering target having an Fe-Pt-based alloy phase and a non-magnetic phase on one side, and contains 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio, and in XRD measurement. It has a diffraction peak derived from diamond.

In another aspect, the sputtering target according to the embodiment of the present invention is a sputtering target composed of a Co-Pt-based alloy phase and a non-magnetic phase, which contains 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio and is XRD-measured. Has a diffraction peak derived from diamond in.

In one aspect, the method for producing a sputtering target according to the embodiment of the present invention is a mixture of Fe-Pt-based alloy powder containing 10 to 45 at% of Pt and the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities, and diamond powder. , A mixed powder containing 1 to 50 at% of C in the atomic number ratio is prepared, and diamond in the mixed powder is sintered at a sintering temperature at which the diamond in the mixed powder does not undergo phase transition to graphite under a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere. It has a step of making a body.

In another aspect, the method for producing a sputtering target according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises a Co-Pt-based alloy powder containing 10 to 45 at% of Pt and the balance being Co and unavoidable impurities, and diamond powder. The powder is mixed to prepare a mixed powder containing 1 to 50 at% of C in the atomic number ratio, and the diamond in the mixed powder is sintered at a sintering temperature in which the diamond in the mixed powder does not undergo phase transition to graphite in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere. It has a step of producing a sintered body.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a sputtering target and a method for producing the same, which can reduce the generation of particles and improve the production yield in the film forming process of the magnetic thin film.

It is a graph which shows the XRD measurement result of Example 1. FIG. It is a graph which shows the XRD measurement result of Examples 3 and 4. It is a photograph which shows the tissue observation result of Example 1. FIG. It is a graph which shows the particle evaluation result of Examples 3, 4 and Comparative Example 3. It is a graph which shows the XRD measurement result of Example 7. It is a graph which shows the particle evaluation result of Example 7 and Comparative Example 6.

(First Embodiment)
The sputtering target according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a sputtering target having an Fe-Pt-based alloy phase and a non-magnetic phase, which contains 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio and is used in XRD measurement. It has a diamond-derived diffraction peak, and has a structure in which diamond particles, that is, carbon (C) particles having a diamond crystal structure are dispersed in an Fe-Pt-based alloy phase in a sputtering target.

Compared to C particles having a graphite structure, C particles having a diamond crystal structure have a stronger bonding force between C atoms in the crystal, so that peeling and cracking in the crystal are less likely to occur, which is caused by C particles during sputtering. The generation of particles can be suppressed.

In the XRD measurement using Cu-Kα ray as the radiation source, the diffraction peak of diamond appears at 2θ = 43.92 ° (111). Further, the sputtering target according to the first embodiment of the present invention does not have a graphite-derived diffraction peak (2θ = 26.54 ° (002)) in the XRD measurement. When carbon is present as an amorphous structure in the sputtering target, it is broader than the sputtering target according to the first embodiment in the vicinity of the diffraction peak (2θ = 26.54 °) in the XRD measurement. Although the diffraction peak is detected, the peak of the amorphous structure does not appear in the sputtering target according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the first embodiment, the presence or absence of the diamond-derived diffraction peak is generally determined by using an apparatus such as Rigaku's powder X-ray diffractometer Smart Lab and using integrated powder X-ray analysis software PDXL or the like. It can be evaluated by the analysis method.

Further, the sputtering target according to the first embodiment has a peak intensity ratio (Idia / Ifept) when the peak intensity of diamond (111) is Idia and the peak intensity of FePt (111) is Ifept in the XRD measurement. ) Is in the range of about 0.01 to 0.5. The peak intensity ratio (Idia / Ifept) is 0.02 or more, further 0.03 or more, further 0.04 or more, and further 0.10 or more in one embodiment. The peak intensity ratio (Idia / Ifept) is 0.4 or less, further 0.3 or less, and further 0.15 or less in one embodiment.

If the particle size of the C particles dispersed in the Fe—Pt-based alloy phase is too large, a large amount of particles due to the C particles may be generated. Therefore, it is preferable that the average particle size of the C particles is small. Specifically, the average particle size of the C particles is preferably 30 μm or less, more preferably 20 μm or less, still more preferably less than 1 μm, and even more preferably 0.6 μm or less. If the particle size of the C particles is too small, the C particles may aggregate in the target and the number of particles may increase. Therefore, the particle size is preferably 0.05 μm or more, more preferably 0.1 μm or more.

Further, if the C content in the sputtering target is less than 1 at%, good magnetic characteristics may not be obtained, and if it exceeds 50 at%, C particles may be aggregated and the generation of particles may increase. .. The C content is more preferably 1 to 50 at%, still more preferably 5 to 45 at%.

The sputtering target according to the first embodiment preferably contains 10 to 45 at% of Pt, and the balance is preferably composed of Fe and unavoidable impurities, more preferably 15 to 40 at% of Pt, and further preferably Pt. 20-35 at%. If the Pt content is less than 10 at% or more than 45 at%, the fct structure may not be expressed in Fe-Pt, and a magnetic phase having high crystalline magnetic anisotropy may not be formed.

Further, the sputtering target according to the first embodiment has Cu, Ag, Cr, B, Ge, Au, Co, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni as one or more additive elements other than Fe, Pt and C. , Pd, Rh, Re, Ru, Ta, 1 or more, 0 to 20 at%, more preferably 5 to 15 at%. Although these additions are optional, they can be expected to have the effect of lowering the heat treatment temperature for expressing the fct structure in the Fe-Pt magnetic phase and increasing the crystal magnetic anisotropy energy, so they are added depending on the material. can do.

Further, in the sputtering target according to the first embodiment, 5 to 40 at%, more 5 to 20 at%, of carbide powder, nitride powder, oxide powder and the like can be added in addition to C as a non-magnetic material. For example, SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , Cr ₂ O ₃ , CoO, Ta ₂ O ₅ , B ₂ O ₃ , MgO, Co ₃ O ₄ , Si ₃ N ₄ , TiN, VN, ZrN, SiC, ZrC, TiC, VC. , BN and the like can be added. These carbides, nitrides, oxides, etc. can be expected to have the effect of contributing to increasing the density in the sintered body or improving the separability of Fe-Pt magnetic particles in the sputtered film. , Can be added depending on the material.

The sputtering target according to the first embodiment has a relative density of 80% or more, 85% or more in one embodiment, 93% or more in another embodiment, and still another embodiment. It is 95% or more. The relative density is expressed by relative density = (measured density / theoretical density) × 100 (%) according to the measured density and the theoretical density. The theoretical density is a density value calculated from the theoretical density of oxides of the elements excluding oxygen in each constituent element of the sintered body.

The sputtering target according to the first embodiment can be produced by using the sintered powder method. That is, the sputtering target according to the first embodiment is a mixture of Fe-Pt-based alloy powder containing 10 to 45 at% of Pt and the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities, and diamond powder, and has an atomic number ratio. To prepare a mixed powder containing 1 to 50 at% of C, and in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere, the diamond in the mixed powder is sintered at a sintering temperature at which the phase does not shift to graphite to prepare a sintered body. Has a step to do.

As the Fe powder, it is desirable to use one having an average particle size of 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less. If the particle size of the metal powder is larger than 10 μm, the non-magnetic material may not be uniformly dispersed. Further, if it is smaller than 0.5 μm, there may be a problem that the composition of the target deviates from the desired composition due to the influence of oxidation. In the present specification, the "average particle size" refers to the median diameter measured by a laser diffraction method (LA-920 manufactured by HORIBA).

As the Pt powder, it is desirable to use an average particle size of 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less. Diamond powder is used as the C powder. If the particle size of diamond is large, abnormal discharge is likely to occur, and if abnormal discharge occurs, diamond may be destroyed and become a source of particles. Therefore, it is preferable to use diamond powder having an average particle size of 3 μm or less. , More preferably less than 1 μm, still more preferably 0.7 μm or less.

The Fe-Pt-based alloy powder and the diamond powder can be mixed together with pulverization by using a known method such as sieve mixing or mortar mixing. The mixed powder thus obtained is molded and sintered in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere by a hot press method.

In the sintering treatment, the sintering temperature is such that the diamond powder does not undergo a phase transition to graphite, that is, the sintering temperature is set to 1000 ° C. or lower, more preferably 900 ° C. or lower. When the sintering temperature exceeds 1000 ° C., the diamond powder undergoes a phase transition to graphite, and the amount of particles generated during sputtering increases. On the other hand, if the sintering temperature is too low, the target becomes low density and the amount of particles generated increases. Therefore, the sintering temperature is preferably 650 ° C. or higher, more preferably 700 ° C. or higher. The time required for the sintering process can be, for example, 0.5 to 2 hours.

(Second Embodiment)
The sputtering target according to the second embodiment of the present invention is a sputtering target having a Co-Pt-based alloy phase and a non-magnetic phase, which contains 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio, and in XRD measurement. It has a diffraction peak derived from diamond. According to the sputtering target according to the second embodiment, diamond particles, that is, carbon (C) particles having a diamond crystal structure are dispersed in the Co-Pt-based alloy phase in the sputtering target, so that the graphite structure is formed. Compared with the case where the C particles having the above are dispersed, peeling and cracking in the crystal are less likely to occur, and the generation of particles caused by the C particles can be suppressed during sputtering.

The presence or absence of a diamond-derived diffraction peak is determined by an analysis method using integrated powder X-ray analysis software PDXL or the like using an apparatus such as a powder X-ray diffractometer Smart Lab manufactured by Rigaku Co., Ltd., as in the first embodiment. Can be evaluated by.

The sputtering target according to the second embodiment has a diffraction peak of diamond at 2θ = 43.92 ° (111) in the XRD measurement using Cu—Kα ray as a radiation source. For example, FIG. As shown, it has a high diffraction intensity following the diffraction peak of the adjacent Co _{3 Pt.} Further, the sputtering target according to the second embodiment of the present invention does not have a graphite-derived diffraction peak (2θ = 26.54 ° (002)) in the XRD measurement. When carbon is present as an amorphous structure in the sputtering target, the diffraction is broader than that of the sputtering target according to the second embodiment near the diffraction peak (2θ = 26.54) in the XRD measurement. Although a peak is detected, the peak of the amorphous structure does not appear in the sputtering target according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Further, the sputtering target according to the second embodiment has a peak intensity ratio (Idia) when the peak intensity of diamond (111) is Idia and the peak intensity of Co _{3 Pt (111) is Icopt in the XRD measurement.} / Icopt) is in the range of about 0.1 to 1.0. The peak intensity ratio (Idia / Icopt) is 0.2 or more, further 0.3 or more, and further 0.4 or more in one embodiment. The peak intensity ratio (Idia / Icopt) is 0.9 or less, and further 0.5 or less in one embodiment.

If the particle size of the C particles dispersed in the Co-Pt-based alloy phase is too large, a large amount of particles due to the C particles may be generated. Therefore, it is preferable that the average particle size of the C particles is small. Specifically, the average particle size of the C particles is preferably 30 μm or less, more preferably 20 μm or less, still more preferably less than 1 μm, and even more preferably 0.6 μm or less. If the particle size of the C particles is too small, the C particles may aggregate in the target and the number of particles may increase. Therefore, the particle size is preferably 0.05 μm or more, more preferably 0.1 μm or more.

Further, if the C content in the sputtering target is less than 1 at%, good magnetic characteristics may not be obtained, and if it exceeds 50 at%, C particles may be aggregated and the generation of particles may increase. .. The C content is more preferably 1 to 40 at%, still more preferably 5 to 35 at%.

The sputtering target according to the second embodiment preferably contains 5 to 35 at% of Pt, and the balance is preferably composed of Co and unavoidable impurities, more preferably 10 to 30 at% of Pt, and further preferably Pt. Is contained in an amount of 15 to 25 at%. If the Pt content is less than 5 at% or more than 35 at%, the magnetic properties of the magnetic thin film may deteriorate.

Further, the sputtering target according to the second embodiment has Cu, Ag, Cr, B, Ge, Au, Co, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni as one or more additive elements other than Co-Pt and C. , Pd, Rh, Re, Ru, W, Ta, Fe, 0 to 15 at%, more preferably 5 to 10 at%. These additions are optional, but can be added depending on the material in order to improve the magnetic properties.

Further, in the sputtering target according to the second embodiment, 1 to 40 at% of carbide powder, nitride powder, oxide powder and the like can be added in addition to C as a non-magnetic material. For example, SiO ₂ , Cr ₂ O ₃ , CoO, Ta ₂ O ₅ , B ₂ O ₃ , MgO, Co ₃ O ₄ , TiO ₂ , MnO, Si ₃ N ₄ , TiN, VN, ZrN, SiC, ZrC, TiC. , VC, BN and the like can be added. These carbides, nitrides, oxides, etc. can be expected to have the effect of contributing to increasing the density in the sintered body or improving the separability of Co-Pt magnetic particles in the sputtered film. , Can be added depending on the material.

The sputtering target according to the second embodiment has a relative density of 85% or more, 93% or more in one embodiment, and 95% or more in yet another embodiment. The relative density is expressed by relative density = (measured density / theoretical density) × 100 (%) according to the measured density and the theoretical density. The theoretical density is a density value calculated from the theoretical density of oxides of the elements excluding oxygen in each constituent element of the sintered body.

The sputtering target according to the second embodiment can be produced by using the sintered powder method. That is, the sputtering target according to the second embodiment is a mixture of Co-Pt-based alloy powder containing 10 to 45 at% of Pt and the balance being Co and unavoidable impurities, and diamond powder, and has an atomic number ratio. To prepare a mixed powder containing 1 to 50 at% of C, and in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere, the diamond in the mixed powder is sintered at a sintering temperature at which the phase does not shift to graphite to prepare a sintered body. Has a step to do.

As the Co powder, it is desirable to use one having an average particle size of 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less. If the particle size of the metal powder is larger than 10 μm, the non-magnetic material may not be uniformly dispersed. Further, if it is smaller than 0.5 μm, there may be a problem that the composition of the target deviates from the desired composition due to the influence of oxidation. In the present specification, the average particle size refers to the median diameter measured by a laser diffraction method (LA-920 manufactured by HORIBA).

As the Pt powder, it is desirable to use an average particle size of 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less. Diamond powder is used as the C powder. If the particle size of diamond is large, abnormal discharge is likely to occur, and if abnormal discharge occurs, diamond may be destroyed and become a source of particles. Therefore, it is preferable to use diamond powder having an average particle size of 3 μm or less. , More preferably less than 1 μm, still more preferably 0.7 μm or less.

The Co-Pt-based alloy powder and the diamond powder can be mixed together with pulverization by using a known method such as sieve mixing or mortar mixing. The mixed powder thus obtained is molded and sintered in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere by a hot press method.

In the sintering treatment, the sintering temperature is heated at 1000 ° C. or lower, more preferably 900 ° C. or lower so that the diamond powder does not undergo a phase transition to graphite. When the sintering temperature exceeds 1000 ° C., the diamond powder undergoes a phase transition to graphite, and the amount of particles generated during sputtering increases. On the other hand, if the sintering temperature is too low, the target becomes low density and the amount of particles generated increases. Therefore, the sintering temperature is preferably 650 ° C. or higher, more preferably 700 ° C. or higher. The time required for the sintering process can be 0.5 to 2 hours.

Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the above embodiments, the statements and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the invention. That is, the present invention is not limited to each embodiment, and the components can be modified and embodied within a range that does not deviate from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the plurality of components disclosed in each embodiment. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiments. Further, the components of different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

Examples of the present invention are shown below together with comparative examples, but these examples are provided for a better understanding of the present invention and its advantages, and are not intended to limit the invention.

(Examples 1 to 6)
C powder consisting of Pt, Fe, powder containing additive elements and non-magnetic materials if necessary, and diamond powder was weighed so as to have the composition shown in Table 1, and the mixed powder obtained by mixing was heated to a temperature of 750. The sintered body of Examples 1 to 6 was prepared by hot pressing in a vacuum atmosphere at −950 ° C. and a pressure of 150 MPa for 2 hours. As for mixing, a known method such as sieve mixing, mortar mixing, and ball mill was used to mix the mixture together with pulverization. At this time, _{an inert gas such as Ar or N 2} was sealed in the crushing container and treated so as to suppress the oxidation of the raw material powder as much as possible.

(Examples 7 to 10)
C powder consisting of Pt, Co, powder containing additive elements and non-magnetic materials as necessary, and diamond powder was weighed so as to have the composition shown in Table 1, and the mixed powder obtained by mixing was heated to a temperature of 800. The sintered body of Examples 7 to 10 was prepared by hot pressing in a vacuum atmosphere at −950 ° C. and a pressure of 150 MPa for 2 hours. As for mixing, a known method such as sieve mixing, mortar mixing, and ball mill was used to mix the mixture together with pulverization. At this time, _{an inert gas such as Ar or N 2} was sealed in the crushing container and treated so as to suppress the oxidation of the raw material powder as much as possible.

(Comparative Examples 1 to 9)
A graphite powder was used as the C powder, the sintering temperature was 750-1200 ° C., and the sintered body was prepared under the same conditions as in Examples 1 to 10.

(Comparative Example 10)
A mixed powder obtained by mixing Pt powder, Fe powder and diamond powder (C raw material powder) having an average particle size of 0.6 μm so that Pt is 30 mol%, Fe is 30 mol% and C is 40 mol%. Hot pressing was performed in a vacuum atmosphere at a temperature of 1100 ° C. and a pressure of 150 MPa for 2 hours to prepare a sintered body of Comparative Example 10.

(XRD diffraction peak observation result)
Structural analysis by XRD was performed. In this example, a powder X-ray diffractometer Smart Lab manufactured by Rigaku Co., Ltd. was used as an analyzer. Using Cu (measured with CuKα) for the tube, the tube voltage was 40 kV, the tube current was 30 mA, and 2θ was measured within the range of 10 ° to 90 °. The angle at which the diffraction peak of diamond appears most strongly is 43.92 ° (111), and the angle at which the peak of graphite appears most strongly is 26.54 ° (002). The results of Examples 1 and 3 and 4 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figure, the peak of the strongest line of diamond is indicated by an arrow. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, no peak of the graphite phase was observed in any of Examples 1 and 3 to 4, and it was found that the XRD measurement had a diamond-derived diffraction peak. Further, FIG. 5 shows the XRD measurement results of Example 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the peak of the graphite phase was not observed in Example 7, and it was found that the XRD measurement had a diffraction peak derived from diamond.

(Number of particles)
The produced sintered body was processed into a target shape, and the number of particles generated when sputtering was performed was evaluated. A magnetron sputtering apparatus (C-3010 sputtering system manufactured by Canon Anerva) was used for the evaluation. The sputtering conditions were an input power of 1 kW and an Ar gas pressure of 1.7 Pa, and a film was formed on a silicon substrate for 20 seconds. The number of particles (particle size 0.09 to 3 μm) adhering to the substrate was measured with a particle counter (manufactured by KLA-Tencor, apparatus name: Candela CS920). The evaluation results of Examples 3 and 4 and Comparative Example 3 are shown in FIG. 4, and the results of Examples 7 and 6 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the number of particles could be significantly reduced by using diamond powder instead of graphite powder. Further, it was obtained that the smaller the particle size of the diamond powder, which is the C raw material powder, the smaller the number of particles. Further, as shown in Comparative Example 10, even when diamond powder was used, a large amount of particles were generated when the sintering temperature was not appropriate.

(Tissue observation result)
The structure of each sintered body was observed with a laser microscope. The tissue observation result for Example 1 is shown in FIG. Dark gray particles correspond to diamonds. As shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that diamond powder of about 2.6 μm is scattered in Fe-Pt in the target.

(Relative density)
The relative density of the produced sintered body was evaluated by relative density = (measured density / theoretical density) × 100 (%). The theoretical density is the value of the density calculated from the theoretical density of the oxides of the elements excluding oxygen in each constituent element of the molded body or the sintered body, while the measured density is the weight divided by the volume. It is a value, and in the case of a sintered body, the volume was calculated by the Archimedes method. The results are shown in Table 1.

Claims (13)

A sputtering target having an Fe-Pt-based alloy phase and a non-magnetic phase, which contains 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio and has a diffraction peak derived from diamond in XRD measurement. A sputtering target composed of a Co-Pt-based alloy phase and a non-magnetic phase, which contains 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio and has a diffraction peak derived from diamond in XRD measurement. The sputtering target according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the XRD measurement does not have a graphite-derived diffraction peak. The sputtering target according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the content of one or more additive elements other than Fe, Pt and C is 0 to 20 at%. The sputtering target according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the content of one or more additive elements other than Fe, Pt and C is 0 to 15 at%. In the XRD measurement, when the peak intensity of diamond (111) is Idia and the peak intensity of FePt (111) is Ifept, the peak intensity ratio (Idia / Ifept) is in the range of 0.01 to 0.5. The sputtering target according to any one of claims 1, 3 and 4. In the XRD measurement, when the peak intensity of diamond (111) is Idia and the peak intensity of Co ₃ Pt (111) is Icopt, the peak intensity ratio (Idia / Icopt) is in the range of 0.1 to 1.0. The sputtering target according to any one of claims 2, 3 and 5. The sputtering target according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which contains C particles having a diamond structure having an average particle diameter of less than 1 μm. The sputtering target according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the relative density is 80% or more. Fe-Pt-based alloy powder containing 10 to 45 at% of Pt and the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities is mixed with diamond powder to prepare a mixed powder containing 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio. A method for producing a sputtering target, which comprises a step of sintering a diamond in the mixed powder at a sintering temperature at which the diamond in the mixed powder does not undergo a phase transition to graphite in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere to prepare a sintered body. .. A Co-Pt-based alloy powder containing 10 to 45 at% of Pt and the balance consisting of Co and unavoidable impurities is mixed with diamond powder to prepare a mixed powder containing 1 to 50 at% of C in terms of atomic number ratio. A method for producing a sputtering target, which comprises a step of sintering a diamond in the mixed powder at a sintering temperature at which the diamond in the mixed powder does not undergo a phase transition to graphite in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere to prepare a sintered body. .. The method for producing a sputtering target according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the average particle size of the diamond powder is less than 1 μm. The method for manufacturing a sputtering target according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the sintering temperature is 1000 ° C. or lower.

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