A method of making a sputtering target in which an atomized powder including, in at. %, 10 to 50% of B, 0 to 20% in total of one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Re, Ru, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, and Ag, and a balance of one or both of Co and Fe, and unavoidable impurities is provided. Fine particles are removed from the atomized powder to obtain a powder having a particle distribution where the cumulative volume of particles having a particle diameter of 5 μm or less is 10% or less, and the cumulative volume of particles having a particle diameter of 30 μm or less is 5-40%. The obtained powder is sintered to form a sputtering target comprising a sintered body. The sputtering target comprises hydrogen of 20 ppm or less.

A stage device includes a stage configured to hold a target substrate in a vacuum chamber, a chiller having a cold head maintained at an extremely low temperature and a cold heat transfer body fixed in contact with the cold head and disposed below a bottom surface of the stage with a gap between the stage and the cold heat transfer body. The stage device further includes a heat insulating structure unit having a vacuum insulated structure and configured to surround at least the cold head and a connection portion between the cold head and the cold heat transfer body, cooling fluid supplied to the gap to transfer cold heat of the cold heat transfer body to the stage, and a stage support rotated by a driving mechanism and configured to rotatably support the stage.

[Object] To provide a sputtering target with further improved sputtering efficiency, and a method of producing the sputtering target.

[Solving Means] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a sputtering target according to an embodiment of the present invention is a cobalt target having a sputtering surface and a purity of 99.95 wt % or more. An intensity ratio (I.sub.(002)+I.sub.(004))/(I.sub.(100)+I.sub.(002)+I.sub.(101)+I.sub.(102)+I.sub.(110)+I.sub.(103)+I.sub.(112)+I.sub.(004)) of X-ray diffraction peaks corresponding to a (100) plane, a (002) plane, a (101) plane, a (102) plane, a (110) plane, a (103) plane, a (112) plane, and a (004) plane of a hexagonal close-packed lattice structure along the sputtering surface is 0.85 or more.

Provided is an FePt based magnetic material sintered compact, comprising BN and SiO.sub.2 as non-magnetic materials, wherein Si and O are present in a region where B or N is present at a cut surface of the sintered compact. A high density sputtering target is provided which enables production of a magnetic thin film for heat-assisted magnetic recording media, and also reduces the amount of particles generated during sputtering.

Provided is an FePt-oxide-BN-based sintered compact for a high-density sputtering target that can suppress generation of particles during sputtering.

The FePt-oxide-BN-based sintered compact for a sputtering target has a mass ratio of N to B (N/B) in a range of 1.300.1.

An object of the present invention is to reduce particles generated in sputtering, and in order to achieve such an object, there is provided a sputtering target material including in at. %: 10 to 50% of B; and the balance of at least one of Co and Fe, and unavoidable impurities, in which the intensity ratio [I [(CoFe).sub.3B]/I [(CoFe).sub.2B]] of the X-ray diffraction intensity [I [(CoFe).sub.3B]] of (CoFe).sub.3B (121) to the X-ray diffraction intensity [I [(CoFe).sub.2B]] of (CoFe).sub.2B (200), the intensity ratio [I (Co.sub.3B)/I (Co.sub.2B)] of the X-ray diffraction intensity [I (Co.sub.3B)] of Co.sub.3B (121) to the X-ray diffraction intensity [I (Co.sub.2B)] of Co.sub.2B (200), or the intensity ratio [I (Fe.sub.3B)/I (Fe.sub.2B)] of the X-ray diffraction intensity [I (Fe.sub.3B)] of Fe.sub.3B (121) to the X-ray diffraction intensity [I (Fe.sub.2B)] of Fe.sub.2B (200) is 1.50 or less.

A method of making a sputtering target in which an atomized powder including, in at. %, 10 to 50% of B, 0 to 20% in total of one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Re, Ru, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, and Ag, and a balance of one or both of Co and Fe, and unavoidable impurities is provided. Fine particles are removed from the atomized powder to obtain a powder having a particle distribution where the cumulative volume of particles having a particle diameter of 5 m or less is 10% or less, and the cumulative volume of particles having a particle diameter of 30 m or less is 5-40%. The obtained powder is sintered to form a sputtering target comprising a sintered body. The sputtering target comprises hydrogen of 20 ppm or less.

Provided is an FePt based magnetic material sintered compact, comprising BN and SiO.sub.2 as non-magnetic materials, wherein Si and O are present in a region where B or N is present at a cut surface of the sintered compact. A high density sputtering target is provided which enables production of a magnetic thin film for heat-assisted magnetic recording media, and also reduces the amount of particles generated during sputtering.

Provided is a sputtering target, comprising: from 0.001 mol % to 0.5 mol % of Bi; from 45 mol % or less of Cr; 45 mol % or less of Pt; 60 mol % or less of Ru; and a total of 1 mol % to 35 mol % of at least one metal oxide, the balance being Co and inevitable impurities.

Provided is an FePt based magnetic material sintered compact, comprising BN and SiO.sub.2 as non-magnetic materials, wherein Si and O are present in a region where B or N is present at a cut surface of the sintered compact. An object of the present invention is to provide a high density sputtering target which enables production of a magnetic thin film for heat-assisted magnetic recording media, and also reduces the amount of particles generated during sputtering.