A metal-ceramic substrate (1) comprising an insulating layer (11) comprising a ceramic and having a first thickness (D1), and a metallization layer (12) bonded to the insulation layer (11) and having a second thickness (D2),
wherein the first thickness (D1) is less than 250 μm and the second thickness (D2) is greater than 200 μm and wherein the first thickness (D1) and the second thickness (D2) are dimensioned such that a ratio of an amount of the difference between a thermal expansion coefficient of the metallization layer (12) and a thermal expansion coefficient of the metal-ceramic substrate (1) to a thermal expansion coefficient of the metal-ceramic substrate (1)
has a value less than 0.25, preferably less than 0.2 and more preferably less than 0.15 or even less than 0.1.

An electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic top plate layer made of a beryllium oxide material, a ceramic bottom plate layer made of a beryllium oxide material, a ceramic middle plate layer disposed between the ceramic top plate layer and the ceramic bottom plate layer, an electrode layer disposed between the ceramic top plate layer and the ceramic middle plate layer, and a heater layer disposed between the ceramic middle plate layer and the ceramic bottom plate layer. The electrode layer joins and hermetically seals the ceramic top plate layer to the ceramic middle plate layer, and the heater layer joins and hermetically seals the ceramic middle plate layer to the ceramic bottom plate layer.

A bonded body of the present invention includes a ceramic member formed of ceramics and a Cu member formed of Cu or a Cu alloy. In a bonding layer formed between the ceramic member and the Cu member, an area ratio of a Cu.sub.3P phase in a region extending by up to 50 μm toward the Cu member side from a bonding surface of the ceramic member is equal to or lower than 15%.

A ceramic circuit substrate and power module with excellent heat cycle resistance characteristics, which is formed by bonding a ceramic substrate and a copper plate via a brazing material including Ag, Cu, and an active metal, wherein the bond void fraction is no greater than 1.0% and the diffusion distance of the Ag, which is a brazing material component, is 5-20 μm. Also, a method for manufacturing a ceramic circuit substrate characterized in that the heating time in a temperature range 400-700° C. in a process for raising the temperature to a bonding temperature is 5-30 minutes and bonding is performed by maintaining the bonding temperature at 720-800° C. for 5-30 minutes.

A bonded body of the present invention includes a ceramic member formed of ceramics and a Cu member formed of Cu or a Cu alloy. In a bonding layer formed between the ceramic member and the Cu member, an area ratio of a Cu.sub.3P phase in a region extending by up to 50 μm toward the Cu member side from a bonding surface of the ceramic member is equal to or lower than 15%.

A ceramic circuit substrate having a metal plate bonded, by a bonding braze material, to at least one main surface of a ceramic substrate, wherein the bonding braze material contains, as metal components, 0.5 to 4.0 parts by mass of at least one active metal selected from among titanium, zirconium, hafnium, and niobium, with respect to 100 parts by mass, in total, of 93.0 to 99.4 parts by mass of Ag, 0.1 to 5.0 parts by mass of Cu, and 0.5 to 2.0 parts by mass of Sn; and Cu-rich phases in a bonding braze material layer structure between the ceramic substrate and the metal plate have an average size of 3.5 μm or less and a number density of 0.015/μm2 or higher. A method for producing a ceramic circuit substrate includes bonding at a temperature of 855 to 900° C. for a retention time of 10 to 60 minutes.

A thermoelectric conversion element includes an element body formed of a thermoelectric conversion material of a silicide-based compound, and electrodes each formed on one surface of the element body and the other surface opposite the one surface. The electrodes are formed of a sintered body of a copper silicide, and the electrodes and the element body are directly joined.

A sealing composition which can be handled in a semi-cured state and can obtain a sintered body having excellent joining strength and sealing performance is provided. A sealing composition including a solder powder, coated silver particles including silver core particles and a coating agent arranged on a surface of the silver core particles, and a solvent is provided. Further, a sintering temperature (T2) of the coated silver particles and a boiling point (T3) of the solvent satisfy T2≤T3.

According to one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a ceramic circuit board is disclosed. The ceramic circuit board includes a copper plate bonded to at least one surface of a ceramic substrate via a brazing material layer including Ag, Cu, and a reactive metal. The method includes: preparing a ceramic circuit board in which a copper plate is bonded on a ceramic substrate via a brazing material layer, and a portion of the brazing material layer is exposed between a pattern shape of the copper plate; a first chemical polishing process of chemically polishing the portion of the brazing material layer; and a first brazing material etching process of etching the chemically polished portion of the brazing material layer by using an etchant having a pH of 6 or less and including one type or two types selected from hydrogen peroxide and ammonium peroxodisulfate.

A method for the joining of ceramic pieces with a hermetically sealed joint comprising brazing a layer of joining material between the two pieces. The wetting and flow of the joining material is controlled by the selection of the joining material, the joining temperature, the joining atmosphere, and other factors. The ceramic pieces may be on a non-diffusable type, such as aluminum nitride, alumina, beryllium oxide, and zirconia, and the pieces may be brazed with an aluminum alloy under controlled atmosphere. The joint material is adapted to later withstand both the environments within a process chamber during substrate processing, and the oxygenated atmosphere which may be seen within the shaft of a heater or electrostatic chuck.