aluminum oxynitride sheet is a strong, transparent ceramic of polycrystalline structure with a high melting point.

It’s a great material for many applications, especially in the aerospace industry where it can be used to create transparent windows. It’s also incredibly tough and can resist high heats.

How It’s Made

Transparent aluminium (also known as ALON) was invented in the 1980s by James McCauley at the Army Materials and Mechanics Research Center, and it’s now being used to produce windows that can protect missiles’ infrared sensors. It’s a lot stronger than standard glass, and it’s expected to get cheaper as production increases.

Alumina, Oxynitride and Nanotechnology

In 2010 a new manufacturing process was discovered that reduces the porosity of the resulting material and makes it 95% transparent. This process is now being used in more and more applications.

This material is a promising candidate for multi-spectral transmission capabilities in a window or other optical component for use with an electromagnetic sensor. It can be vapor doped with trace amounts of yttrium and boron to provide a high in-line transmission of at least 20% across the 0.3 to 5 micrometer range.

How it’s Used

In addition to military and defence applications, aluminum oxynitride is used in a number of other industries including aerospace, energy and mining. The material is also very resistant to corrosion, oxidation and radiation, making it ideal for use in industrial applications.

It’s also a great alternative to tempered glass, especially for applications that need to be highly transparent or that require high-temperature stability. However, it’s still too expensive to be commercially viable for many products at the moment.