---

Pre-requisites	ML4101, ML4102, ML4103 and ML4104
Workload	25 Lecture hours + 15 tutorial/seminar/assignment hours
Course Lecturers	กก

1. To introduce the importance and uniqueness of advanced structural and electronic ceramics for applications in the high valued added industrial sectors.
2. To examine the crystal structure, nanostructure and microstructure of several technologically important structural ceramic materials, including alumina, transformation toughened zirconia, silicon nitride, sialons, aluminium nitride and silicon carbide.
3. To highlight novel fabrication techniques for advanced ceramics and to discuss how a ceramic material may be fabricated so that it exhibits the most desirable mircostructural features for a designed application.
4. To investigate the inter-relationships among processing, microstructure and properties of advanced structural ceramic materials.
5. To outline the defect chemistry relevant to electronic ceramics.
6. To explore the composition, structure and unique behaviour of electroceramics.
7. To look into the important phenomena, such as PTC, NTC, non-ohmic resistance and relaxor ferroelectrics and their technological applications.
8. To discuss how the electroceramic materials may be effectively fabricated into components for electronic and microelectronic devices.
9. To understand the current and future developments of ceramic substrate materials for electronic packages.

• A Brief Introduction to Structural and Electronic Ceramics
  • Classification of advanced ceramics in terms of their applications
  • Current status of advanced ceramic materials
  • Future development trends of advanced ceramic materials
• Alumina Ceramics
  • Crystal structure
  • Fabrication of highly densified alumina ceramics
  • Sintering additives for alumina
  • Thermal properties of alumina
  • Mechanical properties of alumina ceramics
  • Micorstructural dependence of alumina ceramics
  • High temperature performance
  • Strengthening of alumina ceramics:
    • Refinement in microstructure
    • Second phase dispersion
    • Compressive surface stresses
    • Transformation toughening
  • Applications of alumina ceramics
• Zirconia and Transformation Toughened Ceramic Materials
  • Crystal structures and phase transformations in zirconia
  • Tetragonal to monoclinic transformation
  • Stabilization and retention of tetragonal phase
  • Important ZrO₂-based systems:
    • The ZrO₂-CaO system
    • The ZrO₂-MgO system
    • The ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ system
    • The ZrO₂-CeO₂ system
  • Ms and parameters affecting Ms
  • Stress-induced transformation toughening
  • Microcrack toughening
  • Fracture strength vs fracture toughness in zirconia based ceramics
  • Other toughening mechanisms in zirconia based ceramics
  • Types of transformation toughened ceramics
  • Microstructure and properties
  • Zirconia single crystals
  • Electrical properties and applications of fully stabilized zirconias
  • Zirconia dispersed ceramics
• Silicon Nitride (Si₃N₄) Ceramics
  • General characteristics and applications
  • Structures of a and b silicon nitrides
  • Alpha-beta phase transformation
  • Preparation of silicon nitride powders:
    • Nitridation of silicon
    • CVD method
    • Reduction of silica
    • Silicon diimide precipitation
  • Fabrication of dense silicon nitride ceramics:
    • Pressure-less sintering
    • Hot pressing
    • Hot isostatic pressing (HIP)
    • Reaction bonding (RBSN)
    • Post-reaction treatment of RBSN
  • Important sintering additives for silicon nitride ceramics
  • Properties of silicon nitride
  • Oxidation of silicon nitride ceramics
• Sialons Ceramics
  • b'-sialon
  • a'-sialon
  • a'+b'-sialon ceramics
  • Other sialon-related nitride engineering ceramics
• Aluminium Nitride (AlN)
  • Structure and properties
  • Fabrication of aluminium nitride ceramics
• Silicon Carbide (SiC)
  • Crystal structure and polymorphs
  • The Si-C system
  • Preparation of silicon carbide powders
  • Fabrication of dense SiC ceramics:
    • Pressure-less sintering with additives
    • Hot pressing and HIP
    • Self-propagating synthesis
    • Reaction bonding
  • Microstructure-property relationships
• Defects and Defect Chemistry
  • Types of defect in electroceramics
  • Defect chemistry
• Semiconducting Ceramics
  • Fundamental issues of conductivity in ceramics
  • Types of conduction
  • Grain boundary phenomena
  • Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistors
  • Negative temperature coefficient (NTC) resistors
  • Non-Ohmic behaviour and ceramic varistors
  • Ceramic sensors
  Dielectric Ceramics
  • Important fundamental phenomena in dielectric ceramics:
    • Dielectric relationships
    • Polarization mechanisms
    • Dielectric spectrum
    • Equivalent circuit of dielectrics
  • Types of dielectric ceramics
  • Important dielectric ceramic systems:
    • Compositions
    • Microstructure
    • Fabrication
  • Ceramic capacitors
  • Microwave ceramics
  • Ceramics for electronic packaging
• Piezoelectric Ceramics
  • Basic phenomena of piezoelectric ceramics
  • Parameters and measurement
  • Important piezoelectric ceramic systems
  • Applications of piezoelectric ceramics
  • Electrostrictive ceramics
• Pyroelectric Ceramic Materials
  • Pyroelectric phenomena in ceramics
  • Important pyroelectric ceramic systems
  • Fabrication and applications
• Magnetic Ceramic Materials
  • Types of magnetic ceramic material
  • Processing, structure and applications of important magnetic ceramics

1. Electroceramics: Materials, Properties, Applications, A.J. Moulson and J.M. Herbert, Chapman & Hall, London, 1990.
2. Electronic Ceramics: Properties, Devices and Applications, L.M. Levinson, M. Dekker, NY, 1988.
3. Ceramic Materials for Electronics: Processing, Properties and Applications, Edited by R.C. Buchanan, M. Dekker, NY, 1986.
4. Electronic Ceramics, Edited by B.C.H. Steele, Elsevier Applied Science, London, 1991.

1. Electronic Ceramic Materials, Edited by J. Nowotny, Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland, 1992.

After comprehensive study of this module you should be able to:
1. Know the major types of structural and electronic ceramic for challenging and demanding application in engineering and electronics.
2. Understand the crystal structure and inter-relationships among processing parameters, microstructure, and properties of important structural ceramics, such as, alumina, transformation toughened zirconia, silicon nitride, aluminium nitride, sialons, and silicon carbide.
3. Apply the typical processing techniques such as, pressure-less sintering with additives, hot pressing, hot isostatic pressing and reaction sintering/bonding to fabricate these structural ceramics.
4. Discuss the transformation toughening in zirconia-based and zirconia-containing ceramic materials and know how to process the major types of transformation toughened ceramics, such as PSZs, TZPs and ZTCs.
5. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of oxide and non-oxide ceramics when they are used as a structural material at high temperatures.
6. Explore the microstructural degradation processes for both oxide and non-oxide ceramics.
7. Formulate the defect chemistry for commonly observed types of structural defect in ceramic materials.
8. Explain the phenomena, such as positive temperature coefficient (PTC), negative temperature coefficient (NTC), non-ohmic resistance, and grain boundary effects, in semiconducting ceramic materials.
9. Examine the mechanisms of ceramic dielectrics, the types of dielectric ceramic, and their applications in capacitor technology and microwave devices.
10. List the main ceramic materials for packaging in electronics and point out the requirements for future high performance packaging materials.
11. Understand the piezoelectric and electrostrictive phenomena in ceramic materials, the fundamental piezoelectric parameters and their measurement, the important piezoelectric ceramics, and their applications in the electronic devices, such as sensors, transducers and actuators.
12. Familiarize with the commonly used pyroelectric ceramic materials, their fabrication and applications.
13. Differentiate various types of magnetic ceramic materials and understand the principal applications, and processing and fabrication techniques for them.
14. Know the current issues facing the development of structural and electronic ceramic materials.

Last Updated: September 9, 1998