A rare earth aluminate sintered compact including rare earth aluminate phosphor crystalline phases and voids, wherein an absolute maximum length of 90% or more by number of rare earth aluminate phosphor crystalline phases is in a range from 0.4 μm to 1.3 μm, and an absolute maximum length of 90% or more by number of voids is in a range from 0.1 μm to 1.2 μm.

An optical converter for producing colored or white light from blue excitation light is provided. The converter has good scattering properties to be able to produce nearly white light from the scattered blue light components and the scattered, converted yellow light components. The optical converter includes material including one or more of a YAG ceramic, a LuAG ceramic, and a magnesium-aluminum ceramic exhibiting strong scattering.

A strongly scattering optoceramic converter material having a density of less than 97% is provided, as well as a method for producing such an optoceramic material. By appropriately choosing in particular the composition, blending method, and sintering conditions, the production method permits to produce converter materials with tailored properties.

Green ceramic mixture for extruding into an extruded green body includes one or more inorganic components selected from the group consisting of ceramic ingredients, inorganic ceramic-forming ingredients, and combinations thereof, at least one mineral oil, and from about 0.01 wt % to about 0.45 wt % of an antioxidant based on a total weight of the inorganic component(s), by super addition. The mineral oil has a kinematic viscosity of ≥about 1.9 cSt at 100° C. The at least one antioxidant may have a degradation-rate peak temperature that is greater than the degradation-rate peak temperature of the at least one mineral oil. In some embodiments, the at least one mineral oil includes greater than about 20 wt % alkanes with greater than 20 carbons, based on a total weight of the at least one mineral oil. Methods of making an unfired extruded body using the batch mixture are also disclosed.

A polycrystalline fused product based on brownmillerite, includes, for more than 95% of its weight, of the elements Ca, Sr, Fe, O, M and M′, the contents of the elements being defined by the formula X.sub.yM.sub.zFe.sub.tM′.sub.uO.sub.2.5, wherein the atomic indices are such that 0.76≤y≤1.10, z≤0.21, 0.48≤t≤1.15 and u≤0.52, 0.95≤y+z≤1.10, and 0.95≤t+u≤1.10, X being Ca or Sr or a mixture of Ca and Sr, M being an element chosen from the group formed by La, Ba and mixtures thereof, M′ being an element chosen from the group formed by Ti, Cu, Gd, Mn, Al, Sc, Ga, Mg, Ni, Zn, Pr, In, Co, and mixtures thereof, the sum of the atomic indices of Ti and Cu being less than or equal to 0.1.

[Object] To provide a sputtering target for producing an oxide semiconductor thin film having high properties, which serves as a substitute for IGZO, and a method of producing the same.

[Solving Means] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a sputtering target according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an oxide sintered body including indium, tin, and germanium, in which an atom ratio of germanium with respect to a total of indium, tin, and germanium is 0.07 or more and 0.40 or less, and an atom ratio of tin with respect to the total of indium, tin, and germanium is 0.04 or more and 0.60 or less. As a result, it is possible to achieve transistor characteristics of having mobility of 10 cm.sup.2/Vs or more.

The present invention is a transparent conductive laminate comprising a base, a low-refractive-index layer, an intermediate-refractive-index layer, and a transparent conductive layer, the low-refractive-index layer, the intermediate-refractive-index layer, and the transparent conductive layer being sequentially stacked on at least one side of the base either directly or through one or more layers, the low-refractive-index layer having a refractive index of 1.40 to 1.50, and the intermediate-refractive-index layer having a refractive index of 1.50 to 1.80 and a film density of 2.5 to 4.5 g/cm.sup.3. The present invention provides a transparent conductive laminate that exhibits excellent moisture-heat resistance and excellent optical properties, and an electronic device or module.

Provided are an oxide semiconductor excellent in transparency, mobility, and weatherability, etc., and a semiconductor device having the oxide semiconductor, a p-type semiconductor being realizable in the oxide semiconductor. The oxide semiconductor consists of a composite oxide, which has a crystal structure including a pyrochlore structure, containing at least one or more kinds of elements selected from Nb and Ta, and containing Sn element, and its holes become charge carriers by the condition that Sn.sup.4+/(Sn.sup.2++Sn.sup.4+) which is a ratio of Sn.sup.4+ to a total amount of Sn in the composite oxide is 0.124≤Sn.sup.4+/(Sn.sup.2++Sn.sup.4+)≤0.148.

A semiconductor light emitting device comprising a light emitting layer disposed between an n-type region and a p-type region is combined with a ceramic layer which is disposed in a path of light emitted by the light emitting layer. The ceramic layer is composed of or includes a wavelength converting material such as a phosphor. Luminescent ceramic layers according to embodiments of the invention may be more robust and less sensitive to temperature than prior art phosphor layers. In addition, luminescent ceramics may exhibit less scattering and may therefore increase the conversion efficiency over prior art phosphor layers.

A target for sputtering which enables to attain high rate film-formation of a transparent conductive film suitable for a blue LED or a solar cell. A oxide sintered body includes an indium oxide and a cerium oxide, and one or more oxide of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, molybdenum and tungsten. The cerium content is 0.3 to 9% by atom, as an atomicity ratio of Ce/(In+Ce), and the content of cerium is equal to or lower than 9% by atom, as an atomicity ratio of Ce/(In+Ce). The oxide sintered body has an In.sub.2O.sub.3 phase of a bixbyite structure has a CeO.sub.2 phase of a fluorite-type structure finely dispersed as crystal grains having an average particle diameter of equal to or smaller than 3 μm.