Abstract
Aluminium nitride (AIN) powders with 0-1.2 mass% of carbon and 5 mass% of Y2O3 addition were sintered at 2023 and 2073K under a nitrogen atmosphere, and the sintered samples were characterized by their oxygen content, composition of the secondary phase, microstructure, density, and thermal conductivity. With an increase of carbon addition, the oxygen content decreased linearly and the secondary phase changed from aluminium-rich to yttrium-rich. The microstructure, density and thermal conductivity of the sintered samples were also found to depend strongly on the oxygen content. The correlation between the oxygen content and the sintering behavior of AIN with Y2O3 sintering aid has been discussed.
