Provided is a method for continuously producing a silicon nitride sintered compact for enabling a continuous production of silicon nitride sintered compacts by sintering using a silicon nitride powder having a high β-phase rate. A fired compact 1 housed in a firing jig 2 contains a silicon nitride powder having at least 80% of β-transition rate and 7 to 20 m.sup.2/g of specific surface area together with a sintering additive, where the total content of aluminum element is adjusted not to exceed 800 ppm. The firing jig 2 is supplied into a continuous firing furnace equipped with a closed-type firing container 5 having at its end portions a supplying openable door 3 and a discharging openable door 4 for supplying and discharging the firing jig, a heating mechanism 6 provided on the body periphery of the firing container 5, a conveyance mechanism for supplying/discharging the firing jig into/from the firing container, and a gas-supplying mechanism for supplying an inert gas into the firing container, so that the silicon nitride is heated to a temperature in the range of 1200 to 1800° C. in an inert gas atmosphere and at a pressure of not less than 0 MPa.Math.G and less than 0.1 MPa.Math.G so as to be sintered.

A method for producing a metal-ceramic substrate with a plurality of electrically conductive vias includes: attaching a first metal layer in a planar manner to a first surface side of a ceramic layer; after attaching the first metal layer, introducing a copper hydroxide or copper acetate brine into a plurality of holes in the ceramic layer delimiting a via, to form an assembly; converting the copper hydroxide or copper acetate brine into copper oxide; subjecting the assembly to a high-temperature step above 500° C. in which the copper oxide forms a copper body in the plurality of holes; and after converting the copper hydroxide or copper acetate brine into the copper oxide, attaching a second metal layer in a planar manner to a second surface side of the ceramic layer opposite the first surface side. The copper body produces an electrically conductive connection between the first and the second metal layers.

A member for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a ceramic plate having an upper surface serving as a wafer mounting surface and incorporating an electrode, a ceramic dense plug disposed adjacent to a lower surface side of the ceramic plate and ceramic-bonded to the ceramic plate by a ring-shaped joint portion, a metal cooling plate joined to the lower surface of the ceramic plate in a portion other than the ring-shaped joint portion, and a gas flow channel. The gas flow channel includes a gas discharge hole that passes completely through the ceramic plate in the thickness direction of the ceramic plate and an internal gas flow channel that passes from the upper surface to the lower surface of the dense plug while winding through the dense plug. The gas flow channel passes inside of an inner periphery of the joint portion.

A lattice structure includes multiple identical unit cells formed from joined plates. In the lattice structure, some of the plates are rectangular plates, some of the plates are triangular plates, and some of the plates are trapezoidal plates. Further, any two of the joined rectangular plates have corresponding surface normals perpendicular to each other and at least two edges of each one of the triangular plates are joined to one of a surface or an edge of one of the plurality of joined plates. Further, at least three edges of each one of the trapezoidal plates are joined to one of a surface or an edge of one of the plurality of joined plates, and any one of a plurality of surface normals for the triangular plates and the trapezoidal plates are nonparallel to any one of a plurality of surface normals of rectangular plates.

Method of manufacturing a metal-ceramic substrate (1) which, in the finished state, has a ceramic layer (11) and a metal layer (12) extending along a main extension plane (HSE) and arranged one above the other along a stacking direction (S) extending perpendicularly to the main extension plane (HSE) comprising providing the metal layer (12) and the ceramic layer (11) and bonding the metal layer (12) to the ceramic layer (11) in regions to form a first region (B1), which has a materially bonded connection between the metal layer (12) and the ceramic layer (11), and a second region (B2), in which the metal layer (12) and the ceramic layer (11) are arranged one above the other without a materially bonded connection, as seen in the stacking direction (S).

A ceramic circuit substrate and power module with excellent heat cycle resistance characteristics, which is formed by bonding a ceramic substrate and a copper plate via a brazing material including Ag, Cu, and an active metal, wherein the bond void fraction is no greater than 1.0% and the diffusion distance of the Ag, which is a brazing material component, is 5-20 μm. Also, a method for manufacturing a ceramic circuit substrate characterized in that the heating time in a temperature range 400-700° C. in a process for raising the temperature to a bonding temperature is 5-30 minutes and bonding is performed by maintaining the bonding temperature at 720-800° C. for 5-30 minutes.

Provided are a composite ceramic member and a method for preparation thereof, a vaporization assembly, and an electronic cigarette. The composite ceramic member comprises a first ceramic layer, a second ceramic layer, and a third ceramic layer stacked in sequence; in the first ceramic layer, the second ceramic layer, and the third ceramic layer, the first ceramic layer has the smallest pore size and the highest thermal conductivity, the second ceramic layer has the largest porosity, and the third ceramic layer has the highest compressive strength.

The bonded substrate includes the silicon nitride ceramic substrate, a copper plate, the bonding layer, and penetrating regions. The copper plate and the bonding layer are patterned into a predetermined shape, and are disposed over a main surface of the silicon nitride ceramic substrate. The bonding layer bonds the copper plate to the main surface of the silicon nitride ceramic substrate. The penetrating regions each include one or more penetrating portions penetrating continuously from the main surface of the substrate into the silicon nitride ceramic substrate to a depth of 3 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and contain silver, and the number of penetrating regions present per square millimeter of the main surface of the substrate is one or more and 30 or less.

A bonded substrate includes a ceramic substrate, a copper plate, and a bonding layer. The ceramic substrate has a main surface having a flat region having a maximum height Rz of 10 μm or less. The ceramic substrate has a particle-defect hole being exposed to the main surface, imparting flatness lower than flatness of the flat region to a part of the main surface, and having a depth of 10 μm or more and 60 μm or less. The copper plate includes a first portion disposed over the flat region and a second portion filling the particle-defect hole. The bonding layer includes a third portion covering the flat region and a fourth portion filling the particle-defect hole, and the second portion and the fourth portion fill 80% or more of a volume of the particle-defect hole. The bonding layer bonds the copper plate to the main surface.

A DBC substrate for power semiconductor devices includes a ceramic workpiece of a non-oxide ceramic having first and second opposing main sides, the ceramic workpiece having a thickness of 10 μm or more measured between the first and second main sides, a copper-containing layer disposed over the first main side, the copper-containing layer having a thickness of 5 μm or more, and an intermediate layer comprising Al.sub.2O.sub.3 disposed between the ceramic workpiece and the copper-containing layer.