Y2O3 is the main sintering aid for high thermal conductivity AlN ceramics for the production of electronic devices. The effect of varying the amount of Y2O3 as sintering aid for AlN from 0.5 to 4 wt% was investigated. The effects of different amounts of Y2O3 were correlated with results of density and microstructural analysis, as well as the evolution of second phases, as a function of sintering temperature. Green bodies were sintered in nitrogen atmosphere using a tungsten element furnace, between 1650 and 2000 ºC for 1 h. The results showed the densification of AlN samples with Y2O3 by solid state sintering up to 1700 ºC; above this temperature, densification occurred by liquid-phase sintering. The melting of a YAG phase caused the formation of liquid phase at around 1725 ºC, in samples of AlN with up to 4 wt% Y2O3. The amount of liquid-phase increased with increasing sintering aid content only after the full densification of the samples, due to the melting of large refractory particles of yttrium aluminates (YAP and YAM) at high temperatures. As a result, the increase of the Y2O3 content (0.5 to 4 wt%) did not cause significant variations in the densification behavior of the AlN, as the amount of liquid-phase was similar for all temperatures in the range at which densification occurred. The addition of only 0.5 wt% Y2O3 increased significantly the sinterability of AlN. The use of Y2O3 with large particle size distribution in relation to AlN did not cause the formation of large pores. The results showed a trend towards oxide compounds evaporation in AlN samples with Y2O3, when sintered above 1850 ºC.
AlN; Y2O3; sintering; microstructure; second-phase
