The aluminium nitride is a material which should replace alumina or be
ryllia as substrate for power electronic applications. The powder, pre
pared by carbothermal nitridation, is dispersed in a butanone-2-ethano
l azeotrop solvent with a phosphate ester. Electrical conductivity, se
dimentation, viscosity have been used to determine which phenomena tak
e place in the defloculation of the suspension. The stability of AlN s
uspensions is due mainly to an electrostatic mechanism, with a steric
contribution. The aluminium nitride tape-casting slip has been sintere
d at 1 850-degrees-C in a nitrogen atmosphere. Removing of the binder
and plasticizer can be performed in the same oven at 650-degrees-C, du
e to their nature and low concentration. The thermal conductivity of t
he substrates has been measured and is in the 160 to 200 W/m.K range.