Creep behavior of aluminium nitride and correlation with the microstructure

In this paper, we report on new mechanical tests, at high temperatures, performed with a supposed better aluminium nitride (A1N) material, containing fewer oxygen. Our purpose was twofold: (1) check whether creep resistance is modified and hopefully enhanced and (ii) determine the elementary mechanisms controlling plastic deformation through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations of deformed samples up 10% strain in compression at elevated temperatures (1823-1923 K) under constant stress in the range 150250 MPa. Stationary rates are lower by an order magnitude than those previously measured in AIN with higher oxygen content. All dislocations imaged by TEM look undissociated, which clearly relates the formerly observed wide dissociation to oxygen in excess.