Nitridation behaviors of silicon powder doped with various rare earth oxides

Abstract

Nitridation behaviors of silicon powder doped with various rare-earth oxides were studied in order to assess the nitridation enhancing effect of the rare-earth oxides on the formation of reaction bonded silicon nitride. Thermo-gravimetric analysis revealed that the addition of CeO₂ and Eu₂O₃ to Si powder reduced the temperature of the main nitridation reaction and increased the amount of silicon converted to silicon nitride at a given temperature.