The object of the present invention is to provide the dielectric ceramic composition having good characteristics even under the high electric field intensity, and particularly good IR characteristic and the high temperature accelerated lifetime. The dielectric ceramic composition according to the present invention comprises a main component comprising a perovskite type compound shown by a compositional formula (Ba.sub.1-x-ySr.sub.xCa.sub.y).sub.m(Ti.sub.1-zZr.sub.z)O.sub.3 (note that, said “m”, “x”, “y” and “z” all show a mol ratio, and each satisfies 0.94≦m≦1.1, 0≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦0.2, 0.06≦z<0.2), a first sub component comprising oxides of a rare earth element R (note that, R is any one selected from the group consisting of Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu), a second sub component comprising oxides of Mg, a third sub component comprising oxides at least one element M selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cr, Co and Fe, a fourth sub component as a sintering agent, a ratio of the first sub component in terms of oxides (RO.sub.3/2) is 8 to 20 mol, a ratio of the second sub component in terms of oxides (MgO) is 3 to 15 mol, a ratio of the third sub component in terms of oxides (MO) is 0.6 to 2.0 mol, with respect to 100 mol of said main component; and when a content of the first sub component is R mol, a content of the second sub component is M mol, and a content of the third sub component is N mol with respect to 100 mol of said main component, then 1.0≦R(M+N)≦2.4 is satisfied.

A dielectric ceramic composition has good characteristics even under the high electric field intensity, and particularly good IR characteristic and the high temperature accelerated lifetime. The dielectric ceramic composition has a main component having a perovskite type compound shown by a compositional formula (Ba.sub.1-x-ySr.sub.xCa.sub.y).sub.m(Ti.sub.1-zZr.sub.z)O.sub.3, a first sub component having oxides of a rare earth element R, a second sub component as a sintering agent, wherein the dielectric particles has dielectric particles having high diffusion rate of the rare earth element, preferably of a complete solid solution particle, and when a concentration of Ti atom in the diffusion phase is 100 atom %, then an average concentration of the rare earth element R in the diffusion phase is 5 atom % or more, and an average concentration of Zr in the diffusion phase is 10 atom % or more.

A dielectric ceramic composition having good characteristic even under high electric field intensity, and particularly good IR characteristic and high temperature accelerated lifetime. The present invention is a dielectric ceramic composition comprising, a main component comprising a perovskite type compound shown by a compositional formula (Ba1-x-ySrxCay)m(Ti1-zZrz)O3, a first sub component comprising oxides of a rare earth element, a second sub component as a sintering agent, wherein said dielectric ceramic composition is a complete solid solution particle wherein the rare earth element is solid dissolved to entire dielectric particle, or a core-shell particle having high ratio of the diffusion phase, and comprises the dielectric particle having 5 to 20 atom % of the average concentration of the rare earth element in the diffusion phase, and having uniform concentration distribution of the rare earth element in the diffusion phase.

The invention provides a shuttle kiln that can fire ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders in a shorter period of time than in conventional methods without occurring breaks due to a temperature difference between the inside and the outside. The shuttle kiln of the invention is suited for firing of ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders. It includes a gas suction path 4 that suctions in-furnace gas and discharges it via an afterburner 5 and a circulation path 7 that suctions the in-furnace gas to the furnace outside to burn organic binder gas and then returns it into the furnace.

To provide a brazing material for maintaining bonding strength between ceramic substrate and metal plate at a conventionally attainable level, while addition amount of In is reduced, and a brazing material paste using the same. A mixture powder provided by mixing alloy powder composed of Ag, In, and Cu, Ag powder, and active metal hydride powder, the mixture powder containing active metal hydride powder with a 10-to-25-μm equivalent circle average particle diameter by 0.5 to 5.0 mass %, the equivalent circle average particle diameters for the alloy powder, Ag powder, and active metal hydride powder having a relationship: alloy powder≧active metal hydride powder>Ag powder, and the powder mixture having a particle size distribution of d10 of 3 to 10 μm, d50 of 10 to 35 μm, and d90 of 30 to 50 μm, and in the frequency distribution, a peak of the distribution existing between d50 and d90.

A method is described for assembling at least two parts made of silicon carbide based materials by non-reactive brazing in an oxidizing atmosphere, each of the parts comprising a surface to be assembled, wherein the parts are placed in contact with a non-reactive brazing composition, the assembly formed by the parts and the brazing composition is heated to a brazing temperature sufficient for completely or at least partially melting the brazing composition, or rendering the brazing composition viscous, and the parts and the brazing composition are cooled so as to form, after cooling the latter to ambient temperature, a moderately refractory joint. The non-reactive brazing composition is a composition A consisting of silica (SiO.sub.2), alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), and calcium oxide (CaO), or a composition B consisting of alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), calcium oxide (CaO), and magnesium oxide (MgO), and, before heating the assembly formed by the parts and the brazing composition to the brazing temperature, a supply of silicon in a non-oxidized form is carried out on the surfaces to be assembled of the parts to be assembled, and/or on the surface layers comprising the surfaces to be assembled of the parts to be assembled, and/or in the brazing composition.

A mullite sintered body according to the present invention has an impurity element content of 1% by mass or less and contains sintered mullite grains having an average grain size of 8 μm or less. When a surface of the mullite sintered body is finished by polishing, pores in the surface have an average largest pore length of 0.4 μm or less. The surface preferably has a center line average surface roughness (Ra) of 3 nm or less. The surface preferably has a maximum peak height (Rp) of 30 nm or less. The number of pores in the surface is preferably 10 or less per unit area of 4 μm×4 μm.

A cordierite-based sintered body according to the present invention contains cordierite as a main component and silicon nitride or silicon carbide. The cordierite-based sintered body preferably has a thermal expansion coefficient less than 2.4 ppm; ° C. at 40° C. to 400° C., an open porosity of 0.5% or less, and an average grain size of 1 μm or less.

Radiofrequency and other electronic devices can be formed from textured hexaferrite materials, such as Z-phase barium cobalt ferrite Ba.sub.3Co.sub.2Fe.sub.24O.sub.41 (Co.sub.2Z) having enhanced resonant frequency. The textured hexaferrite material can be formed by sintering fine grain hexaferrite powder at a lower temperature than conventional firing temperatures to inhibit reduction of iron. The textured hexaferrite material can be used in radiofrequency devices such as circulators or telecommunications systems.

A dielectric composition containing a complex oxide represented by the formula of xAO-yBO-zC.sub.2O.sub.5 as the main component, wherein A represents at least one element selected from the group including Ba, Ca and Sr, B represents Mg, and C represents at least one element selected from the group including Nb and Ta, and x, y and z meet the following conditions, x+y+z=1.000, 0.198≦x≦0.375, 0.389≦y≦0.625, and x/3≦z≦x/3+1/9.