Engineering Ceramic Research Group

We have developed a novel raw material blending technology that enables a significant enhancement—approximately 30%—in the fracture toughness of sintered silicon nitride ceramics. This improvement is achieved without changing the mixing ratios of the raw powders including sintering additives to prepare silicon nitride ceramics, nor the sintering conditions (see 1~4 in the figure). The proposed compounding approach offers a simple yet effective means of improving mechanical performance, thereby contributing to the advancement of high-reliability ceramic components.

We are developing life-time evaluation methodologies and accelerated degradation testing protocols for metallized ceramic substrates intended for EV applications. We have established an in-situ measurement technique capable of capturing the deformation behavior of metallized substrates during thermal cycling tests similar with real-world EV driving conditions. This approach enables real-time monitoring of thermo-mechanical responses, contributing to the reliability assessment of power module components.