Abstract
Cu powders with different diameter and mass were compacted on quartz substrates, followed by microwave (2.45 GHz) irradiation in air. Microwave heating of Cu powder was quite anomalous. Both peak and steady-state temperatures appeared during microwave irradiation. In small Cu powder particles, the whole of Cu particle was heated, while in large Cu powder particles microwave heating occurred locally on the surface of the Cu powder particles. The minimum mass over which the temperature rise was observed decreased with increasing mean particle diameter of Cu powder. Thus, the microwave heating of the Cu powder varied depending on both the mean particle diameter and the compacted mass of Cu powder.
