WETTABILITY OF SILICON-NITRIDE BY ALUMINUM, COPPER AND SILVER

This letter deals with the wetting of Si//3N//4 by aluminum, copper and silver. In the sessile drop apparatus the metals placed on an Si//3N//4 plate of 15 mm diameter and 3 mm thick were heated to desired temperatures at the rate of 1. 4 K sec** minus **1 under a dynamic vacuum below 1. 33 mPa. The molten drops on the ceramics were then photographed at regular time intervals through the glass-mounted window of the furnace. The contact angles were measured in the photographs using a protractor. The wetting of silicon nitride ceramics may be related to the ease of nitride formation of the metals.