A manufacturing system includes a tape advancing through the manufacturing system and a station of the manufacturing system. The tape includes a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder. The station of the manufacturing system receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and, at least in part, prepare the tape for sintering.

A manufacturing system includes a tape advancing through the manufacturing system and a station of the manufacturing system. The tape includes a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder. The station of the manufacturing system receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and, at least in part, prepare the tape for sintering.

The invention relates to the field of ceramics and concerns a method for use in displays of electronic devices with high mechanical stress, for example. The object of the present invention is to provide a method by means of which thin ceramic parts having thicknesses of substantially <1 mm with high transparency are produced. The object is achieved by a method for producing thin transparent ceramic parts, in which ceramic powders are mixed together with a solvent and a monomer and a photoinitiator, and at least 0.0005% by mass of a photoinitiator is added, the mixture is subsequently introduced into a mould, then the mixture is irradiated for at least 1 min with light which has a wavelength for activating the photoinitiator, the moulded body is subsequently removed from the mould and dried, and then the debinding and sintering of the moulded body is carried out.

The invention relates to the field of ceramics and concerns a method for use in displays of electronic devices with high mechanical stress, for example. The object of the present invention is to provide a method by means of which thin ceramic parts having thicknesses of substantially <1 mm with high transparency are produced. The object is achieved by a method for producing thin transparent ceramic parts, in which ceramic powders are mixed together with a solvent and a monomer and a photoinitiator, and at least 0.0005% by mass of a photoinitiator is added, the mixture is subsequently introduced into a mould, then the mixture is irradiated for at least 1 min with light which has a wavelength for activating the photoinitiator, the moulded body is subsequently removed from the mould and dried, and then the debinding and sintering of the moulded body is carried out.

A die or piston of a spark plasma sintering apparatus, wherein the die or piston is made from graphite and the outer surfaces of the die or piston are coated with a silicon carbide layer with a thickness of 1 to 10 micrometres, the silicon carbide layer being further optionally coated with one or more other layer(s) made from a carbide other than silicon carbide chosen from hafnium carbide, tantalum carbide and titanium carbide, the other layer(s) each having a thickness of 1 to 10 micrometres. A spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus comprising the die and two of the pistons, defining a sintering, densification or assembly chamber capable of receiving a powder to be sintered, a part to be densified, or parts to be assembled. A method of sintering a powder, densifying a part, or assembling two parts by means of a method of spark plasma sintering (SPS) in an oxidising atmosphere, using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus.

A die or piston of a spark plasma sintering apparatus, wherein the die or piston is made from graphite and the outer surfaces of the die or piston are coated with a silicon carbide layer with a thickness of 1 to 10 micrometres, the silicon carbide layer being further optionally coated with one or more other layer(s) made from a carbide other than silicon carbide chosen from hafnium carbide, tantalum carbide and titanium carbide, the other layer(s) each having a thickness of 1 to 10 micrometres. A spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus comprising the die and two of the pistons, defining a sintering, densification or assembly chamber capable of receiving a powder to be sintered, a part to be densified, or parts to be assembled. A method of sintering a powder, densifying a part, or assembling two parts by means of a method of spark plasma sintering (SPS) in an oxidising atmosphere, using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus.

A preparation method for a ceramic composite material, a ceramic composite material, and a wavelength converter. The preparation method comprises: preparing an aluminium salt solution and a fluorescent powder; dispersing the fluorescent powder into a buffer solution having a pH 4.5-5.5 to obtain a suspension; titrating the suspension with the aluminium salt solution to obtain a fluorescent powder coated with Al.sub.2O.sub.3 hydrate film; calcining the fluorescent powder coated with Al.sub.2O.sub.3 hydrate film to obtain a Al.sub.2O.sub.3-coated fluorescent powder; mixing aluminium oxide powder with a particle size of 0.1 μm-1 μm and aluminium oxide powder with a particle size of 1 μm-10 μm to obtain mixed aluminium oxide powder; mixing the Al.sub.2O.sub.3-coated fluorescent powder and the mixed aluminium oxide powder to obtain mixed powder, the Al.sub.2O.sub.3-coated fluorescent powder being present in 40%-90% by weight of the mixed powder; and pre-pressing and sintering the mixed powder to obtain the ceramic composite material.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an optical wavelength conversion member including a polycrystalline ceramic sintered body containing, as main components, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 crystal grains and crystal grains represented by formula X.sub.3Al.sub.5O.sub.12:Ce. In the optical wavelength conversion member 9, atoms of element X are present also in an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 crystal grain adjacent to the interface between the Al.sub.2O.sub.3 crystal grain and an X.sub.3Al.sub.5O.sub.12:Ce crystal grain.

A waveguide includes a body of material having a width, a thickness, and a length, where the width is orthogonal to the thickness, and the length is orthogonal to the thickness and the width. The material includes polycrystalline ceramic that is transmissive such that the body is configured as a waveguide. The thickness is no more than 5 millimeters and at least 20 nanometers, the width is greater than or equal to the thickness, and the length is at least 100 times greater than the width. The body of material has a granular profile such that grains of the material protrude generally outward from a surface of the body with a height of at least 25 nanometers and no more than 100 micrometers relative to recessed portions of the surface of the body at boundaries between the grains.

A waveguide includes a body of material having a width, a thickness, and a length, where the width is orthogonal to the thickness, and the length is orthogonal to the thickness and the width. The material includes polycrystalline ceramic that is transmissive such that the body is configured as a waveguide. The thickness is no more than 5 millimeters and at least 20 nanometers, the width is greater than or equal to the thickness, and the length is at least 100 times greater than the width. The body of material has a granular profile such that grains of the material protrude generally outward from a surface of the body with a height of at least 25 nanometers and no more than 100 micrometers relative to recessed portions of the surface of the body at boundaries between the grains.