Materials

Material grade tables available upon request.

Aluminum oxide, commonly known as alumina, is one of the widely used materials in high-performance ceramic applications. Alumina exhibits high-strength, chemical resistance, and excellent electrical properties. Fabrication costs in comparison to most ceramics are low. Aluminum oxide has a large variety of uses, such as semiconductor chamber applications, high temperature insulators, and ballistic armor and wear components.

Sun Enterprise stocks a large variety of alumina blank material ranging from 94% to fine-grained 99.8%.

Choosing the proper grade of alumina to meet your application is critical. Our engineers will help you select the proper material for your application.

Aluminum nitride is an ideal material for thermal management. It has a low dielectric constant, high electrical resistivity, excellent mechanical strength, and thermal shock resistance. It is ideal for corrosion resistance in high-temperature and high-vacuum applications.

Aluminum nitride is a non-toxic material that -- over the past 20 years -- has replaced more heat-conductive materials, such as beryllium oxide, in many thermal management applications.

Aluminum nitride is produced by both hot pressing and sintering. Choosing the proper grade of aluminum nitride for your application is critical. Our engineers will help you select the right material for your application.

Macor, also known as "machinable glass," was developed by Corning Incorporated and is commonly used for thermal and electrical insulation applications. Its ease of machining makes it a good material for prototypes and proof of concept applications.

Choosing the proper material for your application may be difficult, but our ceramic engineers will help you select the proper material for your application.
What is commonly referred to as "quartz" is actually an amorphous (non-crystalline) form of silicon dioxide known as fused silica. It is a high-purity glass that exhibits extremely low thermal expansion and exceptional thermal shock resistance. Fused silica is chemically inert to many acids and bases and has excellent electrical properties. Unlike other crystalline ceramic materials, fused silica can be welded, flame polished, or mechanically polished to optically clear finishes. Fused silica has a large variety of uses ranging from semiconductor chamber applications to high-temperature window applications.

Sun enterprise stocks a large variety of GE fused silica materials.

Due to the lack of long-range order in its atomic structure, fused silica has lower mechanical strength than most ceramic materials. Choosing the proper material for your application may be difficult, but our ceramic engineers will help you select the proper material for your application.
Silicon Carbide is one of the hardest common ceramic materials. It has a unique atomic structure making it semiconductive depending on purity and composition. Silicon carbide exhibits high-strength, high-thermal conductivity, high-hardness, and excellent thermal shock resistance. It is chemically inert to most acids and bases.

Because of its unique properties, silicon carbide is used in a variety of applications including semiconductor chamber components, heat exchangers, wear components, and even deep space mirrors.

Sun Enterprise works with many different grades ranging from sintered to CVD (chemical vapor deposition), and CVD materials can be manufactured 99.999% purity. Resistance can be controlled by changes in the processing atmosphere. Choosing the proper material for your application may be difficult, but our ceramic engineers will help you select the proper material for your application.
Silicon nitride exhibits a high fracture toughness among the common ceramic materials, and as such, it is a prime candidate for high-temperature and wear applications where good thermal shock resistance is mandatory. Its hardness and fine microstructure also allows for fine finishes during machining.

Silicon nitride can be manufactured by hot pressing or sintering. Sun Enterprise produces a variety of products with multiple grades of silicon nitride. We will help you understand the needs of your application and guide you thorough the material selection process.
Zirconium Oxide, commonly known as zirconia, has unique electrical and mechanical properties. Zirconia is a very dense material with a fine grained microstructure and is easily polished to extremely-fine finishes. It is typically known for its high hardness and fracture toughness. Specific forms of zirconia may be electrically conductive at elevated temperatures. Zirconia is typically doped with calcia, magnesia, or yttria to stabilize its atomic structure. Uses of zirconia range from wear and guide applications to sensors and fuel cell membranes.
Sun enterprise has experience processing a variety of ceramic and glass materials. If your desired material is not listed, contact us, and we will inform you regarding its availability and possible alternatives.