A cubic boron nitride sintered material includes: more than 80 volume % and less than 100 volume % of cubic boron nitride grains; and more than 0 volume % and less than 20 volume % of a binder phase. The binder phase includes: at least one selected from a group consisting of a simple substance, an alloy, and an intermetallic compound selected from a group consisting of a group 4 element, a group 5 element, a group 6 element in a periodic table, aluminum, silicon, cobalt, and nickel. A dislocation density of the cubic boron nitride grains is more than or equal to 1×10.sup.15/m.sup.2 and less than or equal to 1×10.sup.17/m.sup.2.

A modulated inductance module includes an inductor including one or more electrical conductors disposed around a ferromagnetic ceramic element formed on a semiconductor die, wherein the inductor further has two or more metal oxides having fluctuations in metal-oxide compositional uniformity less than or equal to 1.50 mol % throughout said ceramic element, the ceramic element has crystalline grain structure having a diameter that is less than or equal to 1.5× a mean grain diameter, and the semiconductor die contains active semiconductor switches or rectifying components that are in electrical communication with the one or more electrical conductors of the inductor.

A light absorbing member includes a ceramic composite having a plurality of first ceramic particles exhibiting positive resistance temperature characteristics in a first ceramics having an open porosity of 5% or lower.

A dielectric material includes a main component represented by (Ba.sub.1-xCa.sub.x)(Ti.sub.1-y(Zr, Sn, Hf).sub.y)O.sub.3 (0≤x≤1 and 0≤y≤0.5); a first subcomponent including at least one of elements among Y, Dy, Ho, Er, Gd, Ce, Nd, Nb, Sm, Tb, Eu, Tm, La, Lu, and Yb; a second subcomponent including Si and/or Al; and a third subcomponent including Ba and/or Ca.

Focus is on zinc oxide itself, which is a base material for a zinc oxide varistor (laminated varistor), wherein specified quantities of additives are added to a zinc oxide powder having a crystallite size of 20 to 50 nm, grain diameter of 15 to 60 nm found using the specific surface area BET method, untamped density of 0.38 to 0.50 g/cm.sup.3, and tap density of 0.50 to 1.00 g/cm.sup.3. This allows securing of uniformity, high compactness, and high electrical conductivity of a zinc oxide sintered body, and provision of a zinc oxide varistor having high surge resistance.

A ceramic electronic component includes: a body including dielectric layers and internal electrodes; and external electrodes disposed on the body and connected to the internal electrodes, wherein the dielectric layer includes a plurality of dielectric crystal grains, and at least one of the plurality of dielectric crystal grains has a core-double shell structure, the double shell includes a first shell surrounding at least a portion of the core and a second shell surrounding at least a portion of the first shell, the first shell includes a first element, one or more of Sn, Sb, Ge, Si, Ga, In, or Zr, and the second shell includes a second element, one or more of Ca or Sr.

A multilayer electronic component includes a body including a plurality of dielectric layers, wherein, wherein a central portion of the capacitance formation portion is Aa, a boundary portion of the capacitance formation portion, adjacent to the cover portions, is Ab, a dielectric grain size corresponding to the top 50% of dielectric grains, in order of enlargement, from the smallest grain size, among a plurality of dielectric grains included in Aa, is D50a, and a dielectric grain size corresponding to the top 50% of dielectric grains, in order of enlargement, from the smallest grain size, among a plurality of dielectric grains included in Ab, is D50b, D50a satisfies 190 nm or less and D50b satisfies 120 nm or greater.

A cubic boron nitride sintered material includes: more than 80 volume % and less than 100 volume % of cubic boron nitride grains; and more than 0 volume % and less than 20 volume % of a binder phase. The binder phase includes: at least one selected from a group consisting of a simple substance, an alloy, and an intermetallic compound selected from a group consisting of a group 4 element, a group 5 element, a group 6 element in a periodic table, aluminum, silicon, cobalt, and nickel. A dislocation density of the cubic boron nitride grains is more than or equal to 1×10.sup.15/m.sup.2 and less than or equal to 1×10.sup.17/m.sup.2.

A dielectric composition includes one of BaTiO.sub.3, (Ba,Ca) (Ti,Ca)O.sub.3, (Ba,Ca) (Ti,Zr)O.sub.3, Ba(Ti,Zr)O.sub.3 and (Ba,Ca) (Ti,Sn)O.sub.3, as a main component, a first subcomponent including a rare earth element, and a second subcomponent including at least one of a variable valence acceptor element and a fixed valence acceptor element. When a sum of contents of the rare earth element is defined as DT and a sum of contents of the variable valence acceptor element and the fixed valence acceptor element is defined as AT, (DT/AT)/(Ba+Ca) satisfies more than 0.5 and less than 6.0. In addition, a multilayer electronic component including the dielectric composition is provided.

Particles of a refractory metal or a refractory-metal compound capable of decomposing or reacting into refractory-metal nanoparticles, elemental silicon, and an organic compound having a char yield of at least 60% by weight are combined to form a precursor mixture. The mixture is heating, forming a thermoset and/or metal nanoparticles. Further heating form a composition having nanoparticles of a refractory-metal silicide and a carbonaceous matrix. The composition is not in the form of a powder