Provided is a base substrate including an orientation layer used for crystal growth of a nitride or oxide of a Group 13 element, in which a front surface on a side used for the crystal growth of the orientation layer is composed of a material having a corundum-type crystal structure having an a-axis length and/or c-axis length larger than that of sapphire, the orientation layer contains a material selected from the group consisting of α-Cr.sub.2O.sub.3, α-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, α-Ti.sub.2O.sub.3, α-V.sub.2O.sub.3, and α-Rh.sub.2O.sub.3, or a solid solution containing two or more selected from the group consisting of α-Al.sub.2O.sub.3, α-Cr.sub.2O.sub.3, α-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, α-Ti.sub.2O.sub.3, α-V.sub.2O.sub.3, and α-Rh.sub.2O.sub.3, and a half width of an X-ray rocking curve of a (104) plane of the corundum-type crystal structure is 500 arcsec. or less.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a monocrystalline metal foil and a monocrystalline metal foil manufactured thereby, the method comprising the steps of: fixing each of the ends of polycrystalline metal foil to electrodes; and heat-treating the fixed polycrystalline metal foil to manufacture a monocrystalline metal foil.

A method for producing an oriented sintered body according to the present invention includes the steps of: (a) preparing a multilayer body, the multilayer body including a layer including a fine raw-material powder and a layer including a plate-like raw-material powder which are alternately stacked each other, particles of the plate-like raw-material powder being arranged such that surfaces of the particles of the plate-like raw-material powder extend along a surface of the layer including a fine raw-material powder; and (b) sintering the multilayer body.

A method for producing an oriented sintered body according to the present invention includes the steps of: (a) preparing a multilayer body, the multilayer body including a layer including a fine raw-material powder and a layer including a plate-like raw-material powder which are alternately stacked each other, particles of the plate-like raw-material powder being arranged such that surfaces of the particles of the plate-like raw-material powder extend along a surface of the layer including a fine raw-material powder; and (b) sintering the multilayer body.

The present invention discloses a copper-zinc-aluminum-iron single crystal alloy material having an ultra-large grain structure of 5-50 cm grade, obtained by annealing an as-cast alloy having a polycrystalline structure through a single phase region of 800-960 C. for 2-105 h, where the as-cast alloy includes, by weight percentage, 62-82% of copper, 6-29% of zinc, 5-12% of aluminum, and 2-5% of iron. In the present invention, the alloy compositions have an essential difference and are a copper-zinc-aluminum-iron quaternary alloy, and the iron element is an indispensable alloying element. The preparation process of the present invention is extremely simple and very easy to implement and has a very good application prospect.

A method for manufacturing a sputtering target with which an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects can be formed is provided. Alternatively, an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects is formed. A method for manufacturing a sputtering target is provided, which includes the steps of: forming a polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide (M represents a metal chosen among aluminum, titanium, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, cesium, neodymium, and hafnium) powder by mixing, sintering, and grinding indium oxide, an oxide of the metal, and zinc oxide; forming a mixture by mixing the polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide powder and a zinc oxide powder; forming a compact by compacting the mixture; and sintering the compact.

A method for manufacturing a sputtering target with which an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects can be formed is provided. Alternatively, an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects is formed. A method for manufacturing a sputtering target is provided, which includes the steps of: forming a polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide (M represents a metal chosen among aluminum, titanium, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, cesium, neodymium, and hafnium) powder by mixing, sintering, and grinding indium oxide, an oxide of the metal, and zinc oxide; forming a mixture by mixing the polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide powder and a zinc oxide powder; forming a compact by compacting the mixture; and sintering the compact.

Provided is a cathode active material that can simultaneously improve the capacity characteristics, output characteristics, and cycling characteristics of a rechargeable battery when used as cathode material for a non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery. After performing nucleation by controlling an aqueous solution for nucleation that includes a metal compound that includes at least a transition metal and an ammonium ion donor so that the pH value becomes 12.0 to 14.0 (nucleation process), nuclei are caused to grow by controlling aqueous solution for particle growth that includes the nuclei so that the pH value is less than in the nucleation process and is 10.5 to 12.0 (particle growth process). When doing this, the reaction atmosphere in the nucleation process and at the beginning of the particle growth process is a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and in the particle growth process, atmosphere control by which the reaction atmosphere is switched from this non-oxidizing atmosphere to an oxidizing atmosphere, and is then switched again to a non-oxidizing atmosphere is performed at least one time. Cathode active material is obtained with the composite hydroxide particles that are obtained by this kind of crystallization reaction as a precursor.

Provided is a cathode active material that can simultaneously improve the capacity characteristics, output characteristics, and cycling characteristics of a rechargeable battery when used as cathode material for a non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery. After performing nucleation by controlling an aqueous solution for nucleation that includes a metal compound that includes at least a transition metal and an ammonium ion donor so that the pH value becomes 12.0 to 14.0 (nucleation process), nuclei are caused to grow by controlling aqueous solution for particle growth that includes the nuclei so that the pH value is less than in the nucleation process and is 10.5 to 12.0 (particle growth process). When doing this, the reaction atmosphere in the nucleation process and at the beginning of the particle growth process is a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and in the particle growth process, atmosphere control by which the reaction atmosphere is switched from this non-oxidizing atmosphere to an oxidizing atmosphere, and is then switched again to a non-oxidizing atmosphere is performed at least one time. Cathode active material is obtained with the composite hydroxide particles that are obtained by this kind of crystallization reaction as a precursor.

A method for manufacturing a sputtering target with which an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects can be formed is provided. Alternatively, an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects is formed. A method for manufacturing a sputtering target is provided, which includes the steps of: forming a polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide (M represents a metal chosen among aluminum, titanium, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, cesium, neodymium, and hafnium) powder by mixing, sintering, and grinding indium oxide, an oxide of the metal, and zinc oxide; forming a mixture by mixing the polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide powder and a zinc oxide powder; forming a compact by compacting the mixture; and sintering the compact.