A handle substrate of a composite substrate for a semiconductor is provided. The handle substrate is composed of polycrystalline alumina. The handle substrate includes an outer peripheral edge part with an average grain size of 20 to 55 m and a central part with an average grain size of 10 to 50 m. The average grain size of the outer peripheral edge part is 1.1 times or more and 3.0 times or less of that of the central part of the handle substrate.

The present disclosure relates to the formation of polycrystalline diamond materials with fine diamond grains and nano-sized particles of a grain growth inhibitor. In one embodiment, a method of fabricating a polycrystalline diamond material is provided. The method includes providing a mixture of diamond particles with an average particle size of about 1 micron or less, distributing a plurality of nano-sized titanium-containing particles with the diamond mixture, to act as a grain growth inhibitor, and sintering the mixture of diamond particles and titanium-containing particles at high pressure and high temperature to create a polycrystalline structure of sintered diamond grains. The sintered diamond grains have an average size of about 1 micron or less.

A piezoelectric material that does not contain lead and has excellent piezoelectric constant and mechanical quality factor in a device driving temperature range (30 C. to 50 C.) is provided. A piezoelectric material includes a main component containing a perovskite metal oxide represented by following general formula (1), and a first auxiliary component containing Mn, wherein an amount of the contained Mn is 0.002 moles or more and 0.015 moles or less relative to 1 mole of the metal oxide.
(Ba.sub.1-yBi.sub.y).sub.a(Ti.sub.1-x-zZr.sub.xFe.sub.z)O.sub.3(1)
(where 0.010x0.060, 0.001y0.015, 0.001z0.015, 0.950y/z1.050, and 0.986a1.020).

Gadolinium-doped cerium oxide slurries used to form a patchwork type surface structure with nanoporous grain boundary prepared by mixing gadolinium-doped cerium oxide and a polymer binder to form a first mixture; wet-atomizing the first mixture under a pressure of at least 100 MPa to obtain a second mixture; coating the second mixture to a substrate to form a coated substrate; and sintering the coated substrate. The patchwork type structure is a polygonal or honeycomb structure having a size of from 0.1 m to 3 m.

The invention relates to a refractory product, a use of zirconium dioxide, a zirconium dioxide, a method for manufacturing a refractory product and a refractory product manufactured by means of said method.

The disclosure relates to sintered ceramic grains comprising 3-55 wt. % alumina, 40-95 wt. % zirconia and 1-30 wt. % of one or more other inorganic components.

The invention further relates to a method for preparing ceramic grains according to the invention, comprising: making a slurry comprising alumina, zirconia; making droplets of the slurry; introducing the droplets in a liquid gelling-reaction medium wherein the droplets are gellified; drying the gellified deformed droplets.

Setter plates are fabricated from Li-stuffed garnet materials having the same, or substantially similar, compositions as a garnet Li-stuffed solid electrolyte. The Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, reduce the evaporation of Li during a sintering treatment step and/or reduce the loss of Li caused by diffusion qui of the sintering electrolyte, Li-stuffed garnet seller plates, set forth herein, maintain compositional control over the solid electrolyte during sintering when, upon heating, lithium is prone to diffuse out of the solid electrolyte.

A silicon nitride substrate including silicon nitride crystal grains and a grain boundary phase and having a thermal conductivity of 50 W/m.Math.K or more, wherein, in a sectional structure of the silicon nitride substrate, a ratio (T2/T1) of a total length T2 of the grain boundary phase in a thickness direction with respect to a thickness T1 of the silicon nitride substrate is 0.01 to 0.30, and a variation from a dielectric strength mean value when measured by a four-terminal method in which electrodes are brought into contact with a front and a rear surfaces of the substrate is 20% or less. The dielectric strength mean value of the silicon nitride substrate can be 15 kV/rum or more. According to above structure, there can be obtained a silicon nitride substrate and a silicon nitride circuit board using the substrate in which variation in the dielectric strength is decreased.

The disclosure herein relates to rechargeable batteries and solid electrolytes therefore which include lithium-stuffed garnet oxides, for example, in a thin film, pellet, or monolith format wherein the density of defects at a surface or surfaces of the solid electrolyte is less than the density of defects in the bulk. In certain disclosed embodiments, the solid-state anolyte, electrolyte, and catholyte thin films, separators, and monoliths consist essentially of an oxide that conducts Li.sup.+ ions. In some examples, the disclosure herein presents new and useful solid electrolytes for solid-state or partially solid-state batteries. In some examples, the disclosure presents new lithium-stuffed garnet solid electrolytes and rechargeable batteries which include these electrolytes as separators between a cathode and a lithium metal anode.

Set forth herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also set forth herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also set forth herein are methods for preparing novel structures, including dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also, the methods set forth herein disclose novel sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.