Oxygen and Nitrogen determination in Aluminium Nitride

Aluminium nitride is principally used for its high thermal conductivity combined with a high electrical resistivity. So it's an interesting heat dissipator in electric and electronic applications especially as its thermal expansion coefficient is close to the silicon. Moreover, AIN is resistant to oxidation and abrasion. Aluminium nitride is synthesized by reduction of alumina under N2 atmosphere. In its production, circuit board sintering processes are used. To make the material denser the always remaining surface oxygen of the AIN grains is used in the presence of a catalyst (rare earth or alkaline earth oxides). So, some remaining oxide is necessary for a good sintering. But, as oxygen content degrades the final product properties, the oxygen level in AIN powder should be adjusted as to be mostly eliminated at the end of sintering. That means that variation in oxygen % should stay within a range of 0.2% mass. This application note will show the relevance of the EMGA-920 to measure high level of Nitrogen while maintaining the needed precision for Oxygen determination in AIN.