Structural and Electrical Characterization of Sintered Silicon Nitride Ceramic

The electrical conduction phenomena, dielectric response and microstructure have been discussed in sintered silicon nitride ceramics at different temperature and frequencies. Microstructure and phase of the sintered samples was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The electrical conductivity, dielectric constant and dielectric loss increases exponentially with temperature greater than 600 K. The dielectric constant and loss have been measured in the frequency range 100 Hz to 1 MHz. The a.c. conduction studies in the audio frequency range 500 Hz to 1 MHz indicates that the conduction may be due to the electronic hopping mechanism. Silicon Nitride ceramics became dense after sintering. The effect of grain size and role of phase on electrical and dielectric properties have been discussed. These types of samples can be used as a high temperature semi conducting materials for device packaging.