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Electrical Resistivity of Si3N4-SiC-MeSi2 (Me = Nb, Mo, W, Zr) Composites
E. Zschippang1, H. Klemm1, M. Herrmann1, S. Höhn1, B. Matthey1, U. Guth2, A. Michaelis1
1 Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems, Winterbergstraße 28, D-01277, Dresden, Germany
2 Kurt-Schwabe-Institute for Measuring and Sensor Technology Meinsberg, D- 04720 Ziegra-Knobelsdorf, Germany
received April 15, 2013, received in revised form June 14, 2013, accepted June 28, 2013
Vol. 4, No. 4, Pages 197-206 DOI: 10.4416/JCST2013-00012
Abstract
Si3N4-SiC and Si3N4-SiC-MeSi2 (Me = Nb, Mo, W, Zr) composites were densified by means of hot pressing at 1840 °C. Additional heat treatment was performed at 1900 °C in a gas pressure furnace at 1900 °C. The hot-pressed and heat-treated composites were investigated with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and measurements of their electrical resistivity. The electrical resistivity of the hot-pressed Si3N4-SiC composite was about 104 Ωcm. The addition of silicides yielded a decrease in composite resistivity to values of about 101-10-2 Ωcm. The subsequent heat treatment results in a further decrease of the resistivity by at least one order of magnitude for all composites. An α → β transformation in SiC was detected in the Si3N4-SiC-MeSi2 composites with XRD and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. The α → β transformation in SiC was strongly associated with a high-nitrogen doping concentration of the SiC grains, resulting in lower electrical resistivity of the Si3N4-SiC-MeSi2 composites in comparison with the Si3N4-SiC composite. Differences in the solution-precipitation process of SiC have been claimed as a reason for the highly doped SiC grains in the Si3N4-SiC-MeSi2 composites.
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Keywords
Electrical resistivity, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, α → β transformation, composite
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