Aluminum nitride sintered body
A high-purity aluminum nitride sintered body is provided by efficiently removing oxides contained in a raw material powder in producing an aluminum nitride sintered body and preventing composite oxide produced by reaction of oxides contained in the raw material powder with a sintering aid from remaining in the aluminum nitride sintered body. The above sintered body is achieved by an aluminum nitride sintered body having a concentration of residual oxygen excluding attached oxygen of 350 ppm or less.
1. An aluminum nitride sintered body having a concentration of residual oxygen excluding attached oxygen of 350 ppm or less and having a concentration of rare earth metal elements of 1 ppm or less.
2. The aluminum nitride sintered body as described in claim 1 , having a concentration of residual oxygen including attached oxygen of 700 ppm or less and not substantially containing metal elements other than aluminum.
3. The aluminum nitride sintered body as described in claim 2 , having a concentration of the metal components other than aluminum of 100 ppm or less in total.