In a silicon nitride substrate including a silicon nitride sintered body including silicon nitride crystal grains and a grain boundary phase, a plate thickness of the silicon nitride substrate is 0.4 mm or les, and a percentage of a number of the silicon nitride crystal grains including dislocation defect portions inside the silicon nitride crystal grains in a 50 μm×50 μm observation region of any cross section or surface of the silicon nitride sintered body is not less than 0% and not more than 20%. Etching resistance can be increased when forming the circuit board.

Disclosed herein are a polyimide film for graphite sheets and a graphite sheet manufactured using the same. The polyimide film is fabricated by imidizing a precursor composition including: a polyamic acid prepared by reacting a dianhydride monomer with a diamine monomer; and an organic solvent, wherein the diamine monomer includes about 30 mol % to about 70 mol % of 4,4′-methylenedianiline and about 30 mol % to about 70 mol % of 4,4′-oxydianiline based on the total number of moles of the diamine monomer, 4,4′-methylenedianiline and 4,4′-oxydianiline being present in total in an amount of about 85 mol % or more based on the total number of moles of the diamine monomer.

According to one embodiment, a ceramic metal circuit board is a ceramic metal circuit board formed by bonding metal circuit plates to at least one surface of a ceramic substrate. At least one of the metal circuit plates has an area of not less than 100 mm.sup.2 and includes a concave portion having a depth of not less than 0.02 mm within a range of 1% to 70% of a surface of the at least one of the metal circuit plates. The concave portion is provided not less than 3 mm inside from an end of the metal circuit plate.

A solid electrolyte includes partially stabilized zirconia in which a stabilizer forms a solid solution in zirconia. The partially stabilized zirconia includes at least monoclinic phase particles and cubic phase particles as crystal particles that configure the partially stabilized zirconia, and an abundance ratio of the monoclinic phase particle is 5 to 25% by volume. The partially stabilized zirconia includes stabilizer low-concentration phase particles of which concentration of the stabilizer at a particle center is equal to or less than 1 mol %, as the crystal particles. The stabilizer low-concentration phase particles have a particle-size distribution of number frequency thereof having a peak at which an average particle size is 0.6 to 1.0 μm, and a particle size at 10% of a cumulative number is 0.5 μm or greater, and of the overall low-concentration phase particles, 50% by volume or greater belong to the peak.

An automated preparation method of a SiC.sub.f/SiC composite flame tube, comprising the following steps: preparing an interface layer for a SiC fiber by a chemical vapor infiltration process, and obtaining the SiC fiber with a continuous interface layer; laying a unidirectional tape on the SiC fiber with the continuous interface layer and winding the SiC fiber with the continuous interface layer to form and obtaining a preform of a net size molding according to a fiber volume and a fiber orientation obtained in a simulation calculation; and adopting a reactive melt infiltration process and the chemical vapor infiltration process successively for a densification and obtaining a high-density SiC.sub.f/SiC composite flame tube in a full intelligent way. The SiC.sub.f/SiC composite flame tube prepared by the present disclosure not only has a high temperature resistance, but also has a low thermal expansion coefficient, high thermal conductivity and high thermal shock resistance.

An aluminum nitride sintered body contains 1 to 5% by weight of yttrium oxide (Y.sub.2O.sub.3), 10 to 100 ppm by weight of titanium (Ti), and the balance being aluminum nitride (AlN). Accordingly, a volume resistance value and thermal conductivity at a high temperature are improved, and the generation of impurities during a semiconductor manufacturing process can be suppressed.

Cordierite-forming batch mixtures including one or more non-oxide inorganic source materials or materials as pore-formers are provided. Non-oxide inorganic materials, such a non-oxide silicon material that includes at least one of silicon carbide, silicon, or silicon nitride, may be added to cordierite-forming batch mixtures as at least a partial replacement for conventional inorganic pore-formers. Non-oxide inorganic pore-formers may provide an increase in pore volume while having a reduced coefficient of thermal expansion impact as compared with conventional pore-formers. Cordierite-forming mixtures as disclosed herein may additionally include rare-earth catalysts and alkaline-earth materials that may enhance the pore-forming effect of non-oxide inorganic pore-formers without significant exothermic reactions or the production of emissions that may require additional processing treatments.

A copper-ceramic composite: includes a ceramic substrate containing alumina and a copper or copper alloy coating on the ceramic substrate. The alumina has a mean grain shape factor R.sub.a(Al.sub.2O.sub.3), defined as the arithmetic mean of the shape factors R of the alumina grains, of at least 0.4.

A method for producing a honeycomb structure, the method comprising the steps of: kneading a forming raw material containing a cordierite forming material and then forming it to produce a honeycomb formed body; and firing the honeycomb formed body to provide a honeycomb structure. In the producing method, from 0.1 to 6.0 parts by mass of a magnesium silicate mineral having a 2:1 ribbon type structure per 100 parts by mass of the cordierite forming material is added to the forming raw material.

A thermal insulation member is directly or indirectly sandwiched between a first object and a second object and thereby suppresses or interrupts heat transfer between the first object and the second object. The thermal insulation member comprises: a first main surface opposed to the first object; and a second main surface positioned on the opposite side from the first main surface and opposed to the second object. The thermal insulation member has a porous structure of ceramic having pores. ZrO.sub.2 particles and different type material exist on surfaces of the ZrO.sub.2 particles form a skeleton of the porous structure. The different type material includes at least one selected out of SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, La.sub.2O.sub.3, and Y.sub.2O.sub.3.