Highly Dense, Transparent [alpha]-Al^sub 2^O^sub 3^ Ceramics From Ultrafine Nanoparticles Via a Standard SPS Sintering

Using discrete, ultrafine alumina, highly dense transparent (71% real in-line transmission, RIT, ... = 640 nm) ceramics were achieved with grain size as small as 260 nm using standard SPS sintering. We show that use of ... as a dopant greatly reduces sensitivity to the sintering temperatures. Transparent alumina were achieved in a large range of sintering temperatures, 1140...C < T < 1200...C, thus providing better reliability and flexibility into the fabrication of large sintered transparent ceramic bodies. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)