Open Access

A wide range of solid-state synthesis routes for calcium manganate is reported in the literature, but there is no systematic study about the influence of the solid-state synthesis conditions on thermoelectric properties. Therefore, this study examined the influence of calcination temperature and calcination cycles on the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. Higher calcination temperatures and repeated calcination cycles minimized the driving force for sintering of the synthesized powder, leading to smaller shrinkage and lower densities of the sintered specimens. As the electrical conductivity increased monotonously with increasing density, a higher energy input during calcination caused deterioration of electrical conductivity. Phase composition and Seebeck coefficient of sintered calcium manganate were not influenced by the calcination procedure. The highest thermoelectric properties with the highest power factors and figures of merit were obtained by means of reaction-sintering of uncalcined powder.

Plane LTCC substrates can be produced in zero-shrinkage technology by pressure-assisted sintering. The application of axial pressure during sintering supports densification, enhances cofiring of different materials, and restrains deformation. However, the sintered surfaces are affected by the release tapes and by the setters used in the pressure-assisted sintering process. In this study, the effect of release tape particle size on the surface properties of sintered substrates was investigated. Moreover, the substitution of release tape by the use of a vitreous carbon setter was tested. Surface roughness and sheet resistances of metallic thin films on the respective samples were determined. It was found that the roughness of the substrates is not directly correlated with the adequacy of the surface for thin-film deposition. Compared with a freely sintered sample with an average roughness (Ra) of 0.31 μm, pressure-assisted sintering created smoother surfaces using fine-grained release tapes (Ra = 0.18 μm) and rougher surfaces using coarse release tapes (Ra = 0.46 mm). Still, sheet resistances were higher on all sinter-pressed samples. The vitreous carbon setter created unusual trenched surface structures, characterized by varying roughness values and intermediate sheet resistances on the LTCCs tested.

A novel process to structure the surfaces of low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) is presented. Lowered and raised structures are formed by hot-embossing with glass-like carbon molds during pressure-assisted sintering. Molding is driven by viscous flow of the LTCC glassy phase above the glass transition temperature. For accurate molding of embossments on the LTCC surface, proper filling of cavities in the glass-like carbon mold is necessary. Therefore, de-airing of the mold cavity has to be assured. Two strategies have been investigated: (i) hot-embossing at 850 °C after termination of LTCC shrinkage with de-airing through vent holes in the mold; and (ii) hot-embossing of open porous LTCC at 775 °C with dense molds, de-airing through pore channels in the LTCC, and subsequent densification by further heating to 850 °C. Circular embossments with 10 mm diameter were molded on a commercially available LTCC (Ceramtape GC, CeramTec GmbH, Marktredwitz, Germany). The sintered height was measured using optical profilometry. Image processing was used to evaluate porosity distributions in the sintered structures. The influence of embossing temperature on LTCC viscosity and mold filling behavior is discussed. Successful molding of 47 µm high raised grids and characters by hot embossing with 0.41 MPa at 775 °C and further heating to 850 °C under constant load is demonstrated. Thereby, the high potential of hot-embossing for precise structuring of LTCC surfaces is illustrated.