SPUTTERING-TARGET MATERIAL, SPUTTERING TARGET, SPUTTERING-TARGET ALUMINUM PLATE, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

A sputtering-target material (2) is composed of aluminum having a purity of 99.999 mass % or higher and unavoidable impurities. When an average crystal-grain diameter at the plate surface (21) is given as Ds [μm], an average crystal-grain diameter at a depth of ¼th of the plate thickness (22) is given as Dq [μm], and an average crystal-grain diameter at a depth of ½ of the plate thickness (23) is given as Dc [μm], the formulas below are satisfied, and the average crystal-grain diameter changes continuously in a plate-thickness direction. Ds≤230Dq≤280Dc≤3001.2≤Dq/Ds 1.3≤Dc/Ds