AlN Ceramics from Nanosized Plasma Processed Powder, its Properties and Application

Due to its uppermost qualities, AlN ceramics is a prospective material for many industrial applications already used in various devices in the areas of electronics and optoelectronics. In this chapter we describe the manufacturing of AlN ceramics with high conductivity from the plasma processed AlN nanopowder with use of Y2O3 as sintering aid. Use of AlN nanopowder allows obtaining of dense ceramics with high thermal conductivity at relatively low sintering temperatures (1680-1790°C) compared with traditionally used powders. The samples produced by this method are characterized with good dielectric properties, which allow its use as insulator materials for various applications including those under extreme radiation doses. AlN ceramics obtain a number of interesting luminescence properties, experimentally observed in such types of luminescence as photoluminescence, afterglow, thermoluminescence, and optically stimulated luminescence. Peculiarities of luminescence properties are explained using the proposed model of localized tunneling recombination of oxygen-related centers present in the AlN grains of ceramics. Potential applications of luminescence properties for practical use in the areas of dosimetry, lasing, and long-lasting luminescence are discussed.