A polycrystalline CaF.sub.2 member includes a combined assembly of a plurality of polycrystalline bodies made from CaF.sub.2 that are pressure bonded together.

The piezoelectric material of the present invention includes a main component composed of a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by Formula (1), Zn, and Mg. The content of Zn is 0.005 mol or more and 0.050 mol or less based on 1 mol of the perovskite-type metal oxide, and the content of Mg is 0.001 mol or more and 0.020 mol or less based on 1 mol of the perovskite-type metal oxide. Formula (1): (Na.sub.xBa.sub.1-y)(Nb.sub.yTi.sub.1-y)O.sub.3 (where x is 0.83 or more and 0.95 or less, y is 0.85 or more and 0.95 or less, and x/y is 0.95 or more and 1.05 or less).

A silicon carbide-graphite composite is described, including (i) interior bulk graphite material and (ii) exterior silicon carbide matrix material, wherein the interior bulk graphite material and exterior silicon carbide matrix material inter-penetrate one another at an interfacial region therebetween, and wherein graphite is present in inclusions in the exterior silicon carbide matrix material. Such material may be formed by contacting a precursor graphite article with silicon monoxide (SiO) gas under chemical reaction conditions that are effective to convert an exterior portion of the precursor graphite article to a silicon carbide matrix material in which graphite is present in inclusions therein, and wherein the silicon carbide matrix material and interior bulk graphite material interpenetrate one another at an interfacial region therebetween. Such silicon carbide-graphite composite is usefully employed in applications such as implant hard masks in manufacturing solar cells or other optical, optoelectronic, photonic, semiconductor and microelectronic products, as well as in ion implantation system materials, components, and assemblies, such as beam line assemblies, beam steering lenses, ionization chamber liners, beam stops, and ion source chambers.

A method of producing a component of a composite of diamond and a binder, wherein a Hot Isostatic gas Pressure process (HIP) is used, includes the step of enclosing a de-bound green body having compacted diamond particles in an infiltrant. The method includes the further steps of enclosing the de-bound green body and the infiltrant in a Zr-capsule that has Zirconium as a main constituent and sealing the Zr-capsule, and applying a predetermined pressure-temperature cycle on the unit formed by the de-bound green body, infiltrant and capsule in which the infiltrant infiltrates the de-bound green body and the de-bound green body is further densified in the sense that the volume thereof is decreased.

Sintered product having a chemical analysis such that, in percentages by mass based on the oxides, ZrO2 partially stabilised with CeO2 and Y2O3: remainder up to 100%, Al2O3: >10% and <19%of an additive selected from CaO, the oxides of manganese, ZnO, the oxides of praseodymium, SrO, the oxides of copper, Nd2O3, BaO, the oxides of iron, and mixtures thereof: 0.2-6%, impurities: <2%, CeO2 and Y2O3 being present in quantities such that, in molar percent based on the sum of ZrO2, CeO2 and Y2O3, CeO2: 2.5 mol % and <5.5 mol %, and Y2O3: 0.5-2 mol %.

A method for manufacturing a positive electrode includes a step of forming plate-shaped LiCoO.sub.2 template particles configured to conduct lithium ions parallel to a plate face, a step of molding a green body by forming a slurry containing the LiCoO.sub.2 template particles by use of a molding method configured to enable application of a shear force to the LiCoO.sub.2 template particles, and a step of firing the green body.

An alumina sintered body of the present invention has a degree of c-plane orientation of 5% or more, which is determined by a Lotgering method using an X-ray diffraction profile in a range of 2=20 to 70 obtained under X-ray irradiation, and an XRC half width of 15.0 or less in rocking curve measurement, an F content of less than 0.99 mass ppm when measured by D-SIMS, a crystal grain diameter of 15 to 200 m, and 25 or less pores having a diameter of 0.2 m to 1.0 m when a photograph of a viewing area 370.0 m in a vertical direction and 372.0 m in a horizontal direction taken at a magnification factor of 1000 is visually observed.

An IGZO sintered compact composed of indium (In), gallium (Ga), zinc (Zn), oxygen (O) and unavoidable impurities, wherein an average length of cracks existing in the IGZO sintered compact is 3 m or more and 15 m or less. Provided is a sputtering target capable of suppressing the target cracks and reducing the generation of particles during deposition via DC sputtering, and forming favorable thin films.

Provided is a solid electrolyte laminate comprising a solid electrolyte layer having proton conductivity and a cathode electrode layer laminated on one side of the solid electrolyte layer and made of lanthanum strontium cobalt oxide (LSC). Also provided is a method for manufacturing the solid electrolyte. This solid electrolyte laminate can further comprise an anode electrode layer made of nickel-yttrium doped barium zirconate (NiBZY). This solid electrolyte laminate is suitable for a fuel cell operating in an intermediate temperature range less than or equal to 600 C.

A cemented carbide including a hard phase, a binding phase, and inevitable impurities. The hard phase satisfies a first hard phase composed mainly of tungsten carbide, and a second hard phase composed mainly of a compound. The compound contains multiple types of metallic elements including tungsten and at least one element selected from carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and boron. The second hard phase satisfies D10/D90<0.4, wherein D10 denotes a cumulative 10% grain size in an area-based grain size distribution on a surface or cross section of the cemented carbide, and D90 denotes a cumulative 90% grain size in the area-based grain size distribution, and satisfies .sup.2<5.0, wherein .sup.2 denotes the variance of the distance between the centroids of the nearest two of the second hard phases. The average grain size D.sub.W of the first hard phase ranges from 0.8 to 4.0 m and satisfies D.sub.M/D.sub.W<1.0, wherein D.sub.M denotes the average grain size of the second hard phase.