Abstract
The thermal, electronic and mechanical properties of aluminum nitride (A1N) make it an attractive material to a number of technologically important areas; microelectronic packaging, high temperature semiconductors, opto-electronic and piezoelectric devices and structural ceramics. It is well established that the concentration and distribution of impurities can control the macroscopic properties of materials. A1N is a classic example, with oxygen (O) being the dominant controlling impurity. The role of O in point defect formation and its detrimental effect on thermal conductivity was first documented by Slack. Oxygen has subsequently been shown to cause the formation of two-dimensional extended defects of which two variants exist, planar and curved. Both defects have been identified as O-rich inversion domain boundaries (IDB´s) (Fig.l). Because of the controlling influence that O has on thermal conductivity, it is important to fully understand the defect structures and chemistries that exist as a result of O incorporation. A1N-A12O3 is a prototype system for understanding the role that non-stoichiometry (impurities) plays in IDB formation.
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