The Physics and Chemistry of Carbides, Nitrides and Borides (Nato Science Series E: (185))

Carbides, nitrides and borides are families of related refractory materials. Traditionally they have been employed in applications associated with engineering ceramics where either high temperature strength or stability is of primary importance. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the interesting electrical, thermal and optical properties exhibited by these materials, and the fact that many can be prepared as monolithic ceramics, single crystals and thin films. In practical terms carbides, nitrides and borides offer the prospect of a new generation of semiconductor materials, for example, which can function at very high temperatures in severe environmental conditions. However, as yet, we have only a limited understanding of the detailed physics and chemistry of the materials and how the preparation techniques influence the properties. Under the auspices of the NATO Science Committee an Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) was held on the Physics and Chemistry of Carbides, Nitrides and Borides (University of Manchester, 18-22 September, 1989) in order to assess progress to date and identify the most promising themes and materials for future research. An international group of 38 scientists considered developments in 5 main areas: The preparation of powders, monolithic ceramics, single crystals and thin films; Phase transformations, microstructure, defect structure and mass transport; Materials stability; Theoretical studies; Electrical, thermal and optical properties of bulk materials and thin films. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Chemical Routes for the Preparation of Powders....Pages 3-11 Silicon Nitride: Relations between Powder Characteristics and Sinterability....Pages 13-28 Kinetics of the Nitridation of Silicon....Pages 29-44 Lanthanum Silicon Oxynitrides, Synthesis and X-Ray Diffraction and IR Studies....Pages 45-67 Synthesis of Silicon Carbide of Different Morphologies and the Effect of Second Phase in Ceramic Composites....Pages 69-85 Laboratory Methods for the Preparation of Boron Carbides....Pages 87-96 Preparation and Properties of Icosahedral Borides....Pages 97-111 Production, Fabrication and Uses of Borides....Pages 113-120 Laser Ablation ICP-MS Analysis of Ceramic Materials....Pages 121-130 Front Matter....Pages 131-131 Metastable Synthesis of Diamond....Pages 133-158 Selected-Area Deposition of Diamond Films....Pages 159-167 Surface Analysis of Diamond Nucleation on Silicon and Electron Microscopy of the Diamond/Silicon Interface....Pages 169-181 Electrical Properties of B Doped CVD Grown Polycrystalline Diamond Films....Pages 183-194 Front Matter....Pages 131-131 Silicon Carbide: Structure and Polytypic Transformations....Pages 197-214 Crystal-Chemistry of Transition Metal Hemicarbides....Pages 215-248 Structure and Properties of Si-Doped Boron Carbide....Pages 249-267 Actinoidmetal Boron Carbides....Pages 269-277 Defects and Grain Boundaries in High Temperature Deformed α-SiC....Pages 279-296 Application of Transmission Electron Microscopy to the Study of Transition Metal Carbides....Pages 297-327 Defect Structures and Order-Disorder Transformations in Transition Metal Carbides and Nitrides....Pages 329-355 Front Matter....Pages 131-131 Mass Transport in Carbides and Nitrides....Pages 357-383 Front Matter....Pages 385-385 Thermal Shock and Corrosion of SiC — a combustion chamber model case study....Pages 387-401 High Temperature Corrosion of Silicon Nitrides....Pages 403-404 Corrosion and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Nitride Based Ceramics. Influence of Microstructural Changes....Pages 405-421 The Role of Oxygen in Non-Oxide Engineering Ceramics....Pages 423-433 Thermochemical Predictions of Metal-Metal Carbide Stabilities in Relation to WC and WC-Co Production....Pages 435-445 Si 3 N 4 — SiC Composites....Pages 447-456 Boride-Carbide Composites: TiB 2 -TiC-SiC....Pages 457-481 Front Matter....Pages 483-483 Electronic Structure of Stoichiometric and Non-Stoichiometric Titanium Carbides and Nitrides....Pages 485-511 Further Electronic Structure Studies of Boron and Boron-Rich Borides....Pages 513-524 The Electronic Structure of Crystalline Boron Carbide I: B 12 Icosahedra and C-B-C Chains....Pages 525-553 Electronic Structure of Lithium Boride Li 3 B 14 ....Pages 555-559 Front Matter....Pages 561-561 Optical and Electronic Properties of SiC....Pages 563-587 Recent Advances Regarding the Definition of the Atomic Environment, Film Growth and Microelectronic Device Development in Silicon Carbide....Pages 589-623 Thermal Conductivity of Transition Metal Carbides....Pages 625-637 The Dielectric Properties of Nitrides....Pages 639-651 Current Status of the Research on III-V Mononitride Thin Films for Electronic and Optoelectronic Applications....Pages 653-669 Short Range Order in “Amorphous” Thin Films of Titanium Diboride....Pages 671-676 On the Electronic Transport Properties of Boron Carbide....Pages 677-690 Theory of Electronic and Thermal Transport in Boron Carbides....Pages 691-704 Front Matter....Pages 561-561 Optical Properties of Boron-Rich Solids with Icosahedral Structure....Pages 705-725 Back Matter....Pages 727-734 Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Manchester, UK, September 18-22, 1989