Nano-Particle Size Sintering Aids for High Stength and High Performance AlON Missle Domes

"AlON is a covalent bond material, which requires a sintering aid for liquid phase sintering. To minimize the IR scattering, the sintering aid has to be minimized. In order to overcome the very little amount of sintering aid, the sintering time andsintering temperature have to be increased so that the final sintered part can reach full density. The high temperature and long sintering time increase the cost of the products. In this program, a lower cost AlON missile dome will be developed throughinnovative sintering aids, which will reduce the processing cost by reducing the sintering temperature and time. Moreover, a high strength/high hardness AlON can be achieved with smaller grain size. Anticipated improvements in cost reduction oftransparent AlON will be of immediate use where high strength, abrasion resistance, and high transparency are required. Several examples include transparent armor, sodium lamp envelop, bar code scanner, optical lens, etc."