Fabrication of Transparent AlON Ceramics by Solid-state Reaction Sintering

Transparent AlON ceramic which exhibit excellent optical and mechanical properties is a potential alterna-tive to sapphire for the application of IR windows and armor.In this work,transparent AlON ceramics were successfully prepared by solid-state reaction sintering.The effects of sintering aids and holding time on densification of AlON ceramics were investigated.The phase composition and microstructure of the ceramics were characterized by XRD and SEM,respectively.In-line transmittance of the ceramics was measured by spectrophotometer.The results show that co-doping of MgO and Y2O3 as sintering aid is more effective to enhance densification of AlON ceramics than the doping of MgO or Y2O3.With doping level of 0.08wt%Y2O3,the transmission of ceramics increases with the increase of MgO content.Co-doped with 0.08 wt% Y2O3 and 1wt% MgO,the ceramics(1mm thick) sintered at 1950℃ for 12h in N2 atmosphere have an in-line transmission of 60%(at 600nm).