1.Silicon Nitride Ceramics.pdfVIP

Chapter 1 Silicon Nitride Ceramics 1.1 Introduction The widespread interest in silicon nitride ceramics stems from their desirable physical and mechanical properties in many high temperature and pressure applications [1–5]. Good resistance to oxidation and corrosive environments, low coef?cient of friction and thermal expansion, negligible creep, and high decom- position temperature are some of these important properties. Because of these, silicon nitride eSi N T especially its b polymorph is widely used in gas turbines, 3 4 engine parts, bearings, dental drills and gauges, and cutting tools. In addition, thin Si3N4 ?lms and coatings have been studied in relation to high-speed memory devices [6– 10] and optical waveguide applications [11]. Being a highly covalent material with a low self-diffusion coef?cient for the 20 2 nitrogen atoms 6:3 10 cm /s at 1 ; 400 C , Si N is very dif?cult to densify 3 4 by conventional techniques as it decomposes to a Si melt and N2 gas at high temperatures [ 12]. Therefore, the process of liquid-phase sintering with various additives such as SiO , SiC, MgO, Al O ; Y O ; HfO ; ZrO , serving to enhance 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 the mass transport of Si N , is commonly used in the fabrication of the ceramic 3 4 [5, 13–23]. The process involves making Si3N4 from powder under conditions where the solid particles coexist with a wetting liquid at high temperatures until the particle adhesion is achieved. The liquid enhances the rate of interparticle bonding, while reducing the material’s porosity [24]. An intrinsic characteristic of Si3N4 ceramics, on the other hand, is their brit- tleness, which compromises their use and reliability as structural components. To overcome this problem, microstructural and compositional designs with rare-earth oxides REO sintering additives are used. The r