Microstructural, textural evolution and mechanical properties of NiV7 alloy after severe cold rolling and annealing treatment for sputtering application

In this study, NiV7 alloy sheets were subjected to unidirectional cold rolling at room temperature with a 90% reduction, followed by annealing at 500 °C, 550 °C, 600 °C, 700 °C, 800 °C, and 900 °C for one hour. The influence of annealing temperature on the microstructure, texture evolution, and mechanical properties of the cold-rolled sheets was systematically investigated. Results show that at 500 °C, the NiV7 alloy exhibited pronounced deformation bands and a fibrous microstructure. With increasing annealing temperature, recrystallization progressed, and the grain morphology gradually transformed from fibrous to equiaxed. The finest and most uniform grain structure was achieved at 600 °C, with an average grain size of 3.99 μm. The volume fraction of cubic texture decreased with higher temperatures but remained predominant. Mechanically, both yield strength and ultimate tensile strength decreased as annealing temperature increased, yet remained higher than those of homogenized samples. The best combination of strength and ductility was obtained at 600 °C, where the tensile strength reached 744 MPa and elongation was 29.1%. These findings demonstrate that appropriate annealing can effectively tailor the microstructure and mechanical properties of cold-rolled NiV7 alloy sheets, thereby optimizing their performance as sputtering targets. This study provides important guidance for the design and fabrication of high-performance nickel-vanadium sputtering targets for advanced thin film applications.