Disclosed are embodiments of materials for microstrip and substrate integrated waveguide circulators/isolators which can be integrated with a substrate. This composite structure can serve as a platform for other components, allowing for improved miniaturization of components. In particular, a sintering aid can be used to improve the fit between a ferrite material and a dielectric material, improving performance.

Provided are: an oxide sintered material including an In.sub.2O.sub.3 crystal phase, a Zn.sub.4In.sub.2O.sub.7 crystal phase and a ZnWO.sub.4 crystal phase, wherein the roundness of crystal particles composed of the ZnWO.sub.4 crystal phase is 0.01 or more and less than 0.7; a method for producing the oxide sintered material; and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor film that is formed by using the oxide sintered material as a sputter target.

A ceramic material, including: BaWO.sub.4-xM.sub.2CO.sub.3-yBaO-zB.sub.2O.sub.3-wSiO.sup.2, where x=0-0.2 mole, y=0-0.05 mole, z=0-0.2 mole, w=0-0.1 mole, M represents an alkali metal ion selected from Li.sup.+, K.sup.+, Na.sup.+, and x, y, z, and w are not zero at the same time.

There is provided an oxide sintered body including indium, tungsten and zinc, wherein the oxide sintered body includes a bixbite type crystal phase as a main component and has an apparent density of higher than 6.6 g/cm.sup.3 and equal to or lower than 7.5 g/cm.sup.3, a content rate of tungsten to a total of indium, tungsten and zinc in the oxide sintered body is higher than 0.5 atomic % and equal to or lower than 5.0 atomic %, a content rate of zinc to the total of indium, tungsten and zinc in the oxide sintered body is equal to or higher than 1.2 atomic % and equal to or lower than 19 atomic %, and an atomic ratio of zinc to tungsten is higher than 1.0 and lower than 60. There are also provided a sputtering target including this oxide sintered body, and a semiconductor device.

A method for treating a smectite clay, a smectite clay obtained by said method and the various uses of the treated smectite clay.

Disclosed are electrochemical devices, such as lithium ion battery electrodes, lithium ion conducting solid-state electrolytes, and solid-state lithium ion batteries including these electrodes and solid-state electrolytes. Also disclosed are composite electrodes for solid state electrochemical devices. The composite electrodes include one or more separate phases within the electrode that provide electronic and ionic conduction pathways in the electrode active material phase. A method for forming a composite electrode for an electrochemical device is also disclosed. One example method comprises (a) forming a mixture comprising (i) a lithium host material, and (ii) a solid-state conductive material comprising a ceramic material having a crystal structure and a dopant in the crystal structure; and (b) sintering the mixture, wherein the dopant is selected such that the solid-state conductive material retains the crystal structure during sintering with the lithium host material.

The present invention relates to an oxide sintered material that can be used suitably as a sputtering target for forming an oxide semiconductor film using a sputtering method, a method of producing the oxide sintered material, a sputtering target including the oxide sintered material, and a method of producing a semiconductor device 10 including an oxide semiconductor film 14 formed using the oxide sintered material.

The present invention relates to an oxide sintered material that can be used suitably as a sputtering target for forming an oxide semiconductor film using a sputtering method, a method of producing the oxide sintered material, a sputtering target including the oxide sintered material, and a method of producing a semiconductor device 10 including an oxide semiconductor film 14 formed using the oxide sintered material.

Methods for fabricating refractory metal scandate nanocomposite powders with homogeneous microstructured refractory metal grains and a uniform nanosized dispersion of scandia are provided. The powders prepared by the sol-gel methods have a spherical morphology, a narrow distribution of particle sizes and a very uniform dispersion of nanosized scandia particles joined to the tungsten grains. The powder particle sizes can range from nanometers to micrometers. The powders can be pressed into porous cathode structures that can be impregnated with emissive materials to produce high current density and long life cathodes for high-power terahertz vacuum electron devices. The sol-gel fabrication methods allow control over the materials, particle size, particle composition and pore size and distribution of the cathode structure by manipulation of the process parameters.

A positive electrode composition for a rechargeable battery, the composition comprising a first and a second powderous lithium metal oxide, the first lithium metal oxide comprising either one or more of Ni, Mn and Co, the second lithium metal oxide powder having either: the formula Li.sub.xWM.sub.yO.sub.z, M being a metal having a valence state of +2 or +3, with 0<y1, 3x4, 5z6, whereby x=(2*z)[y*(valence state of M)](valence state of W).