Transmission electron microscopy observation in a liquid-phase-sintered SiC with oxynitride glass

Using a pure α–SiC starting powder and an oxynitride glass composition from the Y–Mg–Si–Al–O–N system as a sintering additive, a powder mixture was hot-pressed at 1850 °C for 1 h under a pressure of 20 MPa and further annealed at 2000 °C for 4 h in a nitrogen atmosphere of 0.1 MPa. High-resolution electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction studies confirmed that a small amount of β–SiC was observed in the liquid-phase-sintered α–SiC with this oxynitride glass, indicating stability of β–SiC even at high annealing temperature, due to the nitrogen-containing liquid phase.