PROCESSING OF ALUMINUM NITRIDE POWDER BY THE TAPE-CASTING PROCESS

The elaboration of thin ceramic sheet requires the tape-casting process. This work, carried out on aluminium nitride, has allowed a better understanding of the different stages of the material processing by this technique. Slurry stabilization and dispersion are studied by electrical and microelectrophoretic measurements. An electrosteric stabilization model is proposed. Different binders and plasticizer types are tested for the same slurry weight formulation. The effect of these components on slurries and tapes properties is analysed and important variations of physical, mechanical, thermal and rheological characteristics are recorded. Deformation and cracking arising from the tape drying or sintering are studied and connected to powder granularity and green tape density.