Silicon nitride synthesis in an atmospheric pressure convection—Stabilized arc

Submicron -, -, and amorphous-phase silicon nitride particles have been synthesized in an experimental plasma reactor, using metallic silicon and ammonia as reactants. Injection of ammonia at different locations of the reactor results in different yields. A maximum yield of 85 wt% has been achieved by injecting NH₃ at both downstream and upstream locations of the reactor. The powders synthesized in this way contained approximately 60 wt% silicon nitride in crystal form with equal amounts of and phases. The remainder consisted of the amorphous phase. The average size of the particles ranged from 50 to 90 nm, with a standard deviation of 1.47–1.87 depending on the location of ammonia injection. Seeding with 1 and 10 wt% of preexisting silicon nitride particles for fostering heterogeneous nucleation did not improve the yield, but it changed the particle size distribution.