A manufacturing line includes a tape of green material that is directed through a furnace so that the furnace burns off organic binder material and then partially sinters the tape without the use of a setter board. Sintered articles resulting from the manufacturing line may be thin with relatively large surface areas; and, while substantially unpolished, have few sintering-induced surface defects. Tension may be applied to the partially sintered tape as it passes through a second furnace on the manufacturing line to shape resulting sintered articles.

A manufacturing line includes a tape of green material that is directed through a furnace so that the furnace burns off organic binder material and then partially sinters the tape without the use of a setter board. Sintered articles resulting from the manufacturing line may be thin with relatively large surface areas; and, while substantially unpolished, have few sintering-induced surface defects. Tension may be applied to the partially sintered tape as it passes through a second furnace on the manufacturing line to shape resulting sintered articles.

A manufacturing line includes a tape of green material that is directed through a furnace so that the furnace burns off organic binder material and then partially sinters the tape without the use of a setter board. Sintered articles resulting from the manufacturing line may be thin with relatively large surface areas; and, while substantially unpolished, have few sintering-induced surface defects. Tension may be applied to the partially sintered tape as it passes through a second furnace on the manufacturing line to shape resulting sintered articles.

An optical wavelength conversion member (9) provided with a ceramic plate (11) which is configured from a polycrystalline body that is mainly composed of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and a component represented by A.sub.3B.sub.5O.sub.12:Ce; and each of A and B in A.sub.3B.sub.5O.sub.12 represents at least one element selected from the element groups described below. In addition, a dielectric multilayer film (13) which transmits a specific wavelength and reflects another specific wavelength is formed on a light incident surface (11a) of the ceramic plate (11). The ceramic plate (11) has a porosity of 2% by volume or less, while having an average surface roughness (an arithmetic mean roughness Sa) of 0.5 m or less. A: Sc, Y and lanthanoids (excluding Ce) B: Al and Ga. Also disclosed is a light-emitting device including the optical wavelength conversion member.

A manufacturing line includes a tape of green material that is directed through a furnace so that the furnace burns off organic binder material and then partially sinters the tape without the use of a setter board. Sintered articles resulting from the manufacturing line may be thin with relatively large surface areas; and, while substantially unpolished, have few sintering-induced surface defects. Tension may be applied to the partially sintered tape as it passes through a second furnace on the manufacturing line to shape resulting sintered articles.

A manufacturing line includes a tape of green material that is directed through a furnace so that the furnace burns off organic binder material and then partially sinters the tape without the use of a setter board. Sintered articles resulting from the manufacturing line may be thin with relatively large surface areas; and, while substantially unpolished, have few sintering-induced surface defects. Tension may be applied to the partially sintered tape as it passes through a second furnace on the manufacturing line to shape resulting sintered articles.

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.

A manufacturing line includes a tape of green material that is directed through a furnace so that the furnace burns off organic binder material and then partially sinters the tape without the use of a setter board. Sintered articles resulting from the manufacturing line may be thin with relatively large surface areas; and, while substantially unpolished, have few sintering-induced surface defects. Tension may be applied to the partially sintered tape as it passes through a second furnace on the manufacturing line to shape resulting sintered articles.

A manufacturing line includes a tape of green material that is directed through a furnace so that the furnace burns off organic binder material and then partially sinters the tape without the use of a setter board. Sintered articles resulting from the manufacturing line may be thin with relatively large surface areas; and, while substantially unpolished, have few sintering-induced surface defects. Tension may be applied to the partially sintered tape as it passes through a second furnace on the manufacturing line to shape resulting sintered articles.