Direct Energy Deposition of Mo Powder Prepared by Electrode Induction Melting Gas Atomization

Molybdenum (Mo) is used to form a barrier layer for metal wiring in displays or semiconductor devices. Recently, researches have been continuously attempted to fabricate Mo sputtering targets through additive manufacturing. In this study, spherical Mo powders with an average particle size of about 37 um were manufactured by electrode induction melting gas atomization. Subsequently, Mo layer with a thickness of 0.25 mm was formed by direct energy deposition in which the scan speed was set as a variable. According to the change of the scan speed, pores or cracks were found in the Mo deposition layer. Mo layer deposited with scan speed of 600 mm/min has the hardness value of 324 Hv with a porosity of approximately 2%. We demonstrated that Mo layers with higher relative density and hardness can be formed with less effort through direct energy deposition compared to the conventional powder metallurgy.