Zirconia Toughening of Glass-ceramic Materials

A ceramic material suitable for packaging of large scale integrated circuit is produced by the process of forming a mixture of a powdered glass ceramic material which is a glassy precursor to cordierite ceramic material, formed by the steps which are as follows: a. Mix tetragonal phase material selected from the group consisting of zirconia or hafnia powder con taining a stabilizing oxide compound selected from the group consisting of MgO, CaO and Y2O3 and a glass frit powder or frit of a glassy precursor of cordi erite glass ceramic to yield a suspension of solids. Preferably, a binder is included. . Disperse the suspended solids to yield a dispersion of the zirconia or hafnia with the stabilizing oxide com pound and the glassy precursor. . Densify the dispersion of zirconia or hafnia with the stabilizing oxide‘compound and the glassy precursor by a sintering heat treatment at a temperature of about 840“ C. to melt the glassy precursor into a viscous ?uid at a temperature below the melting point of the zirconia or hafnia powder particles to yield a dens?ed intermediate material with the zirconia or hafnia particles encapsulated in the molden glassy precursor. d. crystallize the densi?ed intermediate material into a polycrystalline composite by heating at 900° C. to 950° C.