Effect of SiCp particle size and anneal on properties of Al/SiC composites prepared by powder liquid -phase sintering

Al-50wt.%SiC composites containing three types of SiC particle sizes(average23μm, 38μm and 75μm) were fabricated by powder liquid-phase sintering. The influences of SiC particle sizes and anneal on the properties were investigated in the study. The results show that the composites with coarse SiC particles can obtain higher thermal conductivity (TC), higher coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE) and higher relative density, while the composites with finer SiC particles are able to have lower CTE and enhance the flexural strength of the composites effectively. Besides, after the annealing at 500 °C for 6 hours, the shape and size of SiC particles in the annealed composites are not changed nearly, compared with those in the sintered composites. In addition, the CTE and flexural strength of the annealed composites are decreased, and the TC is improved a little. From the results obtained, it is credible that Al-50wt.%SiC composites can possess good potential for electronic packaging application.