Ceramic material and ceramic object

Abstract

A ceramic material includes zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) doped with scandium (Sc) ions. ZTA can be further doped with other metal ions, and the other metal ions include cobalt (Co) ions, chromium (Cr) ions, zinc (Zn) ions, titanium (Ti) ions, manganese (Mn) ions, nickel (Ni) ions, or a combination thereof. The ceramic material can be used as a ceramic object, such as a wire bonding capillary, a heat dissipation plate, a denture tooth, orthopedic implants, direct bonded copper, or a high-temperature co-fired ceramic.

Claims

1. A ceramic material, comprising: zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) doped with scandium (Sc) ions.

2. The ceramic material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alumina and the zirconia have a weight ratio of 100:15 to 100:35.

3. The ceramic material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the zirconia toughened alumina and the scandium ions have a weight ratio of 100:0.05 to 100:2.

4. The ceramic material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the zirconia toughened alumina is further doped with other metal ions, and the other metal ions comprise cobalt (Co) ions, chromium (Cr) ions, zinc (Zn) ions, titanium (Ti) ions, manganese (Mn) ions, nickel (Ni) ions, or a combination thereof.

5. The ceramic material as claimed in claim 4, wherein the zirconia toughened alumina and the other metal ions have a weight ratio of 100:0.05 to 100:2.

6. The ceramic material as claimed in claim 4, wherein the scandium ions and the other ions have a weight ratio of 1:0.05 to 1:1.25.

7. The ceramic material as claimed in claim 8, having a hardness of 1600 Hv10 to 2200 Hv10.

8. The ceramic material as claimed in claim 1, having a bending strength of 400 MPa to 500 MPa.

9. A ceramic object, comprising: zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) doped with scandium (Sc) ions.

10. The ceramic object as claimed in claim 9, wherein the zirconia toughened alumina is further doped with other metal ions, and the other metal ions comprise cobalt (Co) ions, chromium (Cr) ions, zinc (Zn) ions, titanium (Ti) ions, manganese (Mn) ions, nickel (Ni) ions, or a combination thereof.

11. The ceramic object as claimed in claim 10, comprising a wire bonding capillary, a heat dissipation plate, a denture tooth, orthopedic implants, a direct bonded copper, or a high-temperature co-fired ceramic.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

[0017] One embodiment of the disclosure provides a ceramic material, including zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) doped with scandium (Sc) ions. In some embodiments, the alumina and the zirconia have a weight ratio of 100:15 to 100:35, e.g. about 100:18. about 100:20, about 100:22, about 100:25, about 100:28, about 100:30, or the like, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. If the amount of the zirconia is too low or too high, it cannot achieve the effect of toughening the alumina. In some embodiments, the zirconia toughened alumina and the scandium ions have a weight ratio of 100:0.05 to 100:2, e.g. about 100:0.1, about 100:0.5, about 100:0.75, about 100:1, about 100:1.2, about 100:1.3, about 100:1.5, about 100:1.8, or the like, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. If the amount of the scandium ions is too low or too high, both the hardness and the bending strength of the ceramic material will be insufficient.

[0018] In some embodiments, the zirconia toughened alumina is further doped with other metal ions, and the other metal ions comprise cobalt (Co) ions, chromium (Cr) ions, zinc (Zn) ions, titanium (Ti) ions, manganese (Mn) ions, nickel (Ni) ions, or a combination thereof, in addition to the scandium ions. If the other metal ions utilize any other metal ions (besides the described other metal ions), e.g. lanthanum (La) ions, gadolinium (Gd) ions, or iron (Fe) ions, it will be difficult to achieve the required properties of the ceramic material.

[0019] In some embodiments, the zirconia toughened alumina and the other metal ions have a weight ratio of 100:0.05 to 100:2, e.g. about 100:0.1, about 100:0.5, about 100:0.75, about 100:1, about 100:1.25, about 100:1.4, about 100:1.5, about 100:1.75, or the like, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. If the amount of the other metal ions is too low or too high, both the hardness and the bending strength of the ceramic material will be insufficient. In some embodiments, the scandium ions and the other ions have a weight ratio of 1:0.05 to 1:1.25, e.g. about 1:0.05 to 1:1.2, about 1:0.06 to 1:0.9, about 1:0.08 to 1:1.2, about 1:0.1 to 1:1.15, about 1:0.2 to 1:1.12, about 1:0.5 to 1:1.1, about 1:1, about 1:0.75, or the like, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. If the amount of the scandium ions is too high, the hardness of the ceramic material will be poor. If the amount of the other metal ions is too high, the hardness of the ceramic material will be also poor.

[0020] In some embodiments, the ceramic material may have a hardness of 1600 Hv10 to 2200 Hv10, e.g. about 1605 Hv10 to 1768 Hv10, about 1605 Hv10 to 1736 Hv10, about 1605 Hv10 to 1730 Hv10, about 1605 Hv10 to 1963 Hv10, about 1939 Hv10, or the like, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. If the hardness of the ceramic material is too low, it cannot meet the specification of the wire bonding capillary. In some embodiments, the ceramic material may have a bending strength of 400 MPa to 500 MPa, e.g. about 415 MPa, about 430 MPa, about 450 MPa, about 475 MPa, about 490 MPa, or the like, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. If the bending strength of the ceramic material is too low, it cannot meet the specification of the wire bonding capillary.

[0021] The ceramic material in one embodiment of the disclosure can be used as wire bonding capillary. In addition, the ceramic material can be used as another ceramic object, such as a heat dissipation plate, a denture tooth, orthopedic implants, a direct bonded copper (DBC), or a high-temperature co-fired ceramic (HTCC), but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0022] The ceramic material can be formed by mixing an appropriate ratio of alumina and zirconia to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). Subsequently, an appropriate ratio of ZTA and a scandium source are mixed. The scandium source can be oxide, acetate salt, nitrate salt, or another suitable salt. The mixture is then ground to form powder, which is molded and sintered to form a ceramic material. On the other hand, an appropriate ratio of ZTA, a scandium source, and another metal source are mixed. The scandium source and the other metal source can be oxide, acetate salt, nitrate salt, or another suitable salt. The mixture is then ground to form powder, which are molded and sintered to form a ceramic material. It's worth noting that the described method is one of the methods (not only) to form the ceramic material, and the disclosure is not limited thereto. One skilled in the art may adopt any other applicable method to dope appropriate amounts of the scandium ions and the other metal ions into ZTA to form the described ceramic material.

[0023] Below, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail so as to be easily realized by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art. The inventive concept may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Descriptions of well-known parts are omitted for clarity.

EXAMPLES

[0024] In following Examples, the hardness of the ceramic material was measured according to the standard CNS 13983 (Test method for vickers hardness of fine ceramics). In following Examples, the bending strength of the ceramic material was measured according to the standard CNS 12701 (Test method for flexural strength (modulus of rupture) of fine ceramics at room temperature).

Example 1

[0025] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (56.8 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (20 g, 35 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA and scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 1. Alternatively, 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and cobalt oxide (containing 0.015 parts by weight of Co ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, the hardness of the ceramic materials doped with Sc ions could be increased from 1414.1 Hv10 to 1605.3 Hv10. The hardness of the ceramic materials doped with Sc ions and Co ions could be increased from 1414.1 Hv10 to 1935.5 Hv10, and the bending strength thereof could be 473.8 MPa.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 ZTA Sc Co Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.013 0.015 1935.5

Example 2

[0026] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (56.8 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (20 g, 35 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and chromium oxide (containing 0.014 to 0.027 parts by weight of Cr ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 2. Alternatively, 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.026 parts by weight of Sc ions), and chromium oxide (containing 0.014 parts by weight of Cr ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 2. As shown in Table 2, the hardness of the ceramic materials doped with Sc ions and Cr ions (in which the Sc ions and the Cr ions had a weight ratio of about 1:0.05 to 1:0.93, such as 1:0.93) could be increased from 1414.1 Hv10 to 1768.3 Hv10, and the bending strength thereof could be 452.7 MPa. However, the hardness of the ceramic material was decreased by further increasing the doping amounts of the Cr ions.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 ZTA Sc Cr Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.026 0.014 1623.1 100 0.013 0.014 1768.3 100 0.013 0.027 1327.9

Example 3

[0027] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (64 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (12.8 g, 20 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and zinc oxide (containing 0.016 parts by weight of Zn ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 3.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 ZTA Sc Zn Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.013 0.016 1736.8

Example 4

[0028] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (61.7 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (11.2 g, 18.1 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and titanium oxide (containing 0.012 parts by weight of Ti ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 4.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 ZTA Sc Ti Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.013 0.012 1720.7

Example 5

[0029] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (61.5 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (12.5 g, 20.4 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and manganese oxide (containing 0.0128 parts by weight of Mn ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 5.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 ZTA Sc Mn Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.013 0.0128 1963.9

Example 6

[0030] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (61.7 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (12.05 g, 19.5 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and nickel oxide (containing 0.016 parts by weight of Ni ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 6.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 ZTA Sc Ni Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.013 0.016 1939.9

Comparative Example 1

[0031] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (64 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (12.8 g, 20 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and lanthanum oxide (containing 0.0176 parts by weight of La ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 7. As shown in Table 7, not all metal ions are suitable to collocate with Sc ions for doping ZTA to increase the hardness of ZTA.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 ZTA Sc La Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.013 0.0176 1401.9

Comparative Example 2

[0032] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (64 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (12.8 g, 20 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and gadolinium oxide (containing 0.0179 parts by weight of Gd ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 8. As shown in Table 8, not all metal ions are suitable to collocate with Sc ions for doping ZTA to increase the hardness of ZTA.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 ZTA Sc Gd Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.013 0.0179 1585.1

Comparative Example 3

[0033] Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (64 g, 100 wt %) and ZrO.sub.2 (12.8 g, 20 wt %) were firstly mixed to form zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA). 100 parts by weight of ZTA, scandium oxide (containing 0.013 parts by weight of Sc ions), and iron oxide (containing 0.0144 parts by weight of Fe ions) were mixed, and the mixture powder and 80 g of ethanol were added into a ball-milling pot to be put into a ball-milling machine, and then ball-milling mixed for 24 hours. The ball-milling product was dried and ground to form powder. An appropriate amount of the powder was pressed under a pressure of 40 kg/m.sup.2 to manufacture a round body with a diameter of 11 mm, which was heated to 1500° C. to 1650° C. and kept for 1 hour to obtain a ceramic material. The composition ratio and hardness of the ceramic materials are tabulated in Table 9. As shown in Table 9, not all metal ions are suitable to collocate with Sc ions for doping ZTA to increase the hardness of ZTA.

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 ZTA Sc Fe Hv10 100 0 0 1414.1 100 0.013 0 1605.3 100 0.013 0.0144 1291.1

[0034] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed methods and materials. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.