Phonon densities of states and related thermodynamic properties of high temperature ceramics.

Structural components and semiconductor devices based on silicon nitride, aluminum nitride and gallium nitride are expected to function more reliably at elevated temperatures and at higher levels of performance because of the strong atomic bonding in these materials. The degree of covalency, lattice specific heat, and thermal conductivity are important design factors for the realization of advanced applications. We have determined the phonon densities of states of these ceramics by the method of neutron scattering. The results provide a microscopic interpretation of the mechanical and thermal properties. Moreover, experimental data of the static, structures, and dynamic excitations of atoms are essential to the validation of interparticle potentials employed for molecular-dynamics simulations of high-temperature properties of multi-component ceramic systems. We present an overview of neutron-scattering investigations of the atomic organization, phonon excitations, as well as calculations of related thermodynamic properties of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}, {beta}-sialon, AlN and GaN. The results are compared with those of the oxide analogs such as SiO{sub 2} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}