Patent ID: 8499606

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a refractory-metal target from a refractory-metal workpiece having a longitudinal axis and a first dimension substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the method comprising: without flat-forging the workpiece along an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis: (i) upset forging the workpiece along the longitudinal axis, thereby increasing the first dimension of the workpiece and forming a second workpiece, (ii) annealing the second workpiece to at least partially recrystallize the second workpiece, (iii) forging back the annealed second workpiece along the longitudinal axis, thereby decreasing the first dimension of the annealed second workpiece and forming a third workpiece, (iv) upset forging the third workpiece along the longitudinal axis, thereby increasing the first dimension of the third workpiece and forming a fourth workpiece, (v) forging back the fourth workpiece along the longitudinal axis, thereby decreasing the first dimension of the fourth workpiece and forming a fifth workpiece, (vi) annealing the fifth workpiece to at least partially recrystallize the fifth workpiece, (vii) upset forging the annealed fifth workpiece along the longitudinal axis, thereby increasing the first dimension of the annealed fifth workpiece and forming a sixth workpiece, and (viii) annealing the sixth workpiece; and thereafter, and without flat-forging the annealed sixth workpiece along an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis therebetween, forming the annealed sixth workpiece into a plate via a plurality of rolling cycles performed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the annealed sixth workpiece being turned between at least two of the rolling cycles, and a thickness of the plate along the longitudinal axis decreasing during at least one rolling cycle.