Tungsten (W) Sputtering Targets

Of all metals in pure form, tungsten has the highest melting point (3422℃, 6192 ℉), lowest vapor pressure (at temperatures above 1650℃, 3000 ℉) and the highest tensile strength. Although carbon remains solid at higher temperatures than tungsten, carbon sublimes at atmospheric pressure instead of melting, so it has no melting point. Tungsten has the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion of any pure metal. The low thermal expansion and high melting point and tensile strength of tungsten originate from strong covalent bonds formed between tungsten atoms by the 5d electrons. Alloying small quantities of tungsten with steel greatly increases its tou.