METAL POWDER HAVING EXCELLENT SINTERABILITY, METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SINTERED COMPACT USING THE METAL POWDER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To progress sintering at a low temperature in which sintering has been difficult heretofore in silver powder and silver alloy powder, and to produce a sintered compact having excellent ductility and strength. SOLUTION: Silver powder or silver alloy powder in which the size constituting 50% is 0.5 to 20 μm, and also, sphericity is ≥0.5 is sintered in the presence of a halogen element and/or a halide, thus the growth of a neck part between powder grains is promoted upon sintering, so as to obtain a sintered compact capable of obtaining sufficient ductility and strength even by low temperature sintering, and also, having reduced dimensional shrinkage. The content of the halogen element in the metal powder lies within 5 to 2,000 ppm, and, for producing such metal powder, it is possible that a halogen-containing material as a ductility improving component is mixed into metal powder, or also, it is possible that metal powder is immersed into a solution comprising halogen ions, is discharged, and is dried. Further, it is possible that, using a halogen ion-containing aqueous solution as a spray medium, a molten metal is sprayed by the spray medium, so as to be metal powder. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT