Fabrication of a thick crystalline Al2O3 coating with insulation and high thermal conductivity via anodic oxidation and subsequent mic arc discharge treatment

Abstract

Amorphous Al2O3 coating with a thickness of 143 μm was firstly prepared by anodic oxidation, then the amorphous Al2O3 was transformed into crystalline Al2O3 through applying micro arc discharge. The crystal structure of the Al2O3 coatings was analyzed with an X-ray diffractometer. Results indicated that the coating consisted of amorphous and crystalline Al2O3. The microstructure of the coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, which showed that the coating had a compact structure. The thermal conductivity of the coating was 23.7 W/m•K, which is significantly higher than that of amorphous Al2O3 coating. The total and specific breakdown voltages of the coating were 3.85 kV and 26.92 kV/mm, which is suitable to apply for high power LED heat sink substrate.