Ultra-thin foil: 0.005 mm - 0.02 mm. This thickness of tantalum foil is very flexible, like paper, and is mainly used for high-end electronic components, the back plates of sputtering targets, and precision experiments. Standard thin foil: 0.02 mm - 0.05 mm. This is a relatively common range and is used for manufacturing the anode bodies of tantalum electrolytic capacitors (through etching and forming an oxide film), the inner linings of chemical equipment, and the insulation screens of vacuum furnaces, etc. Medium-thickness foil: 0.05 mm - 0.1 mm. It is used in situations requiring higher mechanical strength, such as certain corrosion-resistant gaskets, seals, or as heat sink materials.
The capacitor industry (the main application) requires electrochemical etching of tantalum foil to create a large surface area. To achieve uniform etching and ensure mechanical strength, the common thickness ranges from 0.025 mm to 0.1 mm. Too thin would easily cause perforation during etching, while too thick would result in poor etching effect. Aerospace and electronic industries use multi-layer thin foil sheets (such as 0.025mm - 0.05mm) for insulation screens or heat reflection screens in high-temperature vacuum furnaces.
As the backing plate for the sputtering target materials in semiconductor manufacturing, it needs to be closely bonded to the target material. The common thickness is around 0.5mm, which still falls within the category of thin plates. For chemical and anti-corrosion purposes, as the inner lining for reaction vessels, valves, etc., the thickness needs to be selected based on the size and pressure of the equipment. Usually, it should be above 0.1mm to ensure sufficient strength and sealing performance.
Tantalum, a medical implant material, has excellent biocompatibility and can be used in bone plates, sutures, etc. Medical tantalum foil needs to be extremely pure, and its thickness varies depending on the specific implant design, ranging from several micrometers to several hundred micrometers.
In the research and development process in the laboratory, various thicknesses of tantalum foil may be used for material performance tests, coating substrates and other experiments. To find the standard products, you can focus on the common specifications such as 0.0125 mm, 0.025 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.075 mm, and 0.1 mm.
If you have specific requirements, the best approach is to directly contact the tantalum material supplier and provide them with your application scenario and technical specifications (such as purity, size, mechanical properties), and they will recommend the most suitable thickness.
The thickness tolerance of tantalum foil directly affects its physical properties, mechanical properties, and process compatibility. Especially in high-precision applications such as aerospace, electronics, and superconductivity, deviations in tolerance can lead to product failure or performance degradation. The specific impacts are as follows:
1. Stability of mechanical properties
The tensile strength, yield strength, and ductility of tantalum foil are positively correlated with thickness. If the thickness tolerance is too large, the same batch of tantalum foil will have "local thick areas" or "local thin areas":
Thick areas: The ductility decreases, and cracking is prone to occur during bending, making the stamping process more difficult;
Thin areas: The tensile strength is insufficient, and during force application, it is prone to stretching fracture, failing to meet the load-bearing requirements of structural components.
For example, in the aerospace field, tantalum foil is used to manufacture high-temperature resistant sealing gaskets. Deviation in thickness tolerance will cause inconsistent compression rebound performance of the gaskets, leading to sealing failure and potential safety hazards.
2. Uniformity of conductive and heat-conductive properties
Tantalum has excellent conductive and heat-conductive properties, and its performance is linearly related to thickness. Variations in thickness tolerance will result in:
Thick areas: The resistance value is lower, and the heat conduction efficiency is higher, causing uneven heating in electronic components and affecting circuit stability;
Thin areas: The resistance value is higher, and during power application, it is prone to local overheating, accelerating material aging or even burning.
Typical applications include tantalum foil used as the substrate for superconducting cavities. The thickness tolerance must be controlled within ±0.005mm; otherwise, it will disrupt the uniformity of the superconducting state and reduce the superconducting critical current.
3. Adaptability of processing
Coating / coating process: When depositing functional coatings on the surface of tantalum foil, excessive thickness tolerance will lead to uneven coating adhesion, with thinner areas being prone to peeling and thicker areas prone to bubbles;
Welding process: Inconsistent thickness will cause uneven heat input during welding, with thinner areas prone to welding through and thicker areas prone to incomplete fusion;
Etching / photolithography process: In the microelectronics field, tantalum foil is used to manufacture fine circuits. Deviation in thickness tolerance will cause out-of-control etching depth and failure to meet circuit size accuracy requirements.
