At the Forschungszentrum Karisruhe (D), a compact gyrotron system was installed in 1 994 to investigate technological application in the field of high temperature materials processing using millimeter waves (mm-waves). Besides the improvement ofthe system design, research activities are mainly engaged in studies on debindering and sintering of various types of advanced structural and functional ceramics. Due to volumetric heating and enhanced sintering kinetics, the application of microwavesallows a shortening of the processing time, thereby reducing energy consumption. In addition, microwave technology gives the unique possibility of influencing the microstructure and physical properties of the ceramic materials. This article will give anoverview of the benefits of the mm-wave technology with respect to the sintering of structural ceramics, such as Al{sub}2O{sub}3, Si{sub}3N{sub}4, or TiO{sub}2-ZrO{sub}2MgO multicomponent ceramics, nanocrystalline oxide ceramics, as well as PZTpiezoceramics as one of the most interesting classes of functional ceramics.
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