METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SULFIDE-BASED CERAMIC ELEMENT, PARTICULARLY FOR IR-OPTICS APPLICATIONS

摘要

A method of manufacturing a sulfide-based ceramic element, such as a transparent infrared optical element, comprising the steps of: - synthesizing a sulfide powder; and - sintering said powder to form said ceramic element; characterized in that said step of synthesizing said sulfide powder is performed by combustion in an aqueous solution, said solution comprising water as its only solvent, or containing water as its main solvent and at most 10%, and preferably at most 1% of the overall solvent mass, of one or more combustible solvents. The sulfide powder may be chosen, in particular, among ZnS, BaLa₂S₄, CaLa₂S.