A method for the manufacture of a worktop formed of at least one glass-ceramic substrate with a surface area of greater than 0.7 m.sup.2 in which at least one cycle of ceramization of a glass plate with a surface area of greater than 0.7 m.sup.2 is carried out in a manner where the rate of passage is reduced or the length of the ceramization furnace or the residence time in said furnace is increased.

A method for the manufacture of a worktop formed of at least one glass-ceramic substrate with a surface area of greater than 0.7 m.sup.2 in which at least one cycle of ceramization of a glass plate with a surface area of greater than 0.7 m.sup.2 is carried out in a manner where the rate of passage is reduced or the length of the ceramization furnace or the residence time in said furnace is increased.

A cooktop appliance includes a cooktop panel defining a cooktop surface and an aperture defined through the cooktop surface. A heating element is positioned below the cooktop panel for selectively heating a cooking utensil placed on the cooktop surface and a temperature sensing assembly is configured for monitoring the temperature of the cooking utensil, e.g., to facilitate a closed loop cooking process. The temperature sensing assembly includes a temperature sensor slidably mounted within the aperture of the cooktop panel and a drive member operably coupled to the temperature sensor for selectively moving the temperature sensor between the extended position and the retracted position.

A cooktop appliance includes a cooktop panel defining a cooktop surface and an aperture defined through the cooktop surface. A heating element is positioned below the cooktop panel for selectively heating a cooking utensil placed on the cooktop surface and a temperature sensing assembly is configured for monitoring the temperature of the cooking utensil, e.g., to facilitate a closed loop cooking process. The temperature sensing assembly includes a temperature sensor slidably mounted within the aperture of the cooktop panel and a drive member operably coupled to the temperature sensor for selectively moving the temperature sensor between the extended position and the retracted position.

An IR radiator element (1) suitable for use as a miniature infrared emitter (micro-hotplate) in a gas sensor, IR-spectrometer or electron microscope. The micro-hotplate comprises a plate (2) supported by multiple support arms (4). The plate and arms are fabricated as a MEMS device comprising a single contiguous piece of electrically-conducting refractory ceramic such as hafnium carbide (HfC) or tantalum hafnium carbide (TaHfC). Each of the arms (4), in addition to providing structural cantilever support for the plate (2), acts as a heating element for the plate (2). The plate (2) is heated by applying a voltage across the arms (4). The arms (4) may also be shaped to absorb thermomechanical stress which arises during the heating and cooling of the arms and plate. The plate, which may have an area of less than 0.05 mm.sup.2 and a thickness of between 1% and 10% of the largest dimension of the plate (2), for example, can be heated to 4,000 K or more and cooled again with a duty cycle of as little 0.5 ms, thereby permitting pulsed operation at frequencies of up to 2 kHz. Its small size (10-200 μm) and low power consumption (e.g. 10-100 mW) make the micro-hotplate suitable for use in cryogenic applications, in miniaturized devices or in battery-powered devices such as mobile phones.

A small diameter sheath heater with improved reliability is provided. The sheath heater according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a metal sheath, a heating wire having a band shape, the heating wire arranged with a gap within the metal sheath so as to rotate with respect to an axis direction of the metal sheath, an insulating material arranged in the gap, and connection terminals arranged at one end of the metal sheath, the connection terminals electrically connected with both ends of the heating wire respectively.

A wafer placement table includes: a ceramic member having a wafer placement surface; a mesh electrode buried in the ceramic member; a conductive connection member in contact with the mesh electrode and exposed to outside from a surface of the ceramic member on the opposite side of the wafer placement surface; and an external current-carrying member joined to a surface of the connection member exposed to outside. The mesh electrode has a mesh opening in a region that faces the connection member, and the mesh opening is filled with a sintered conductor being a sintered body of a mixture containing a conductive powder and a ceramic raw material.

A ceramic printing ink is provided that is suitable for application using an inkjet printing process to produce a coating on glass ceramics. The ink includes a glassy material of glass particles and pigment particles. The glass particles are present in a ratio of total weight to the pigment particles of at least 1.5 and less than 19. The glass particles have an equivalent diameter d.sub.90 ranging from at least 0.5 μm to at most 5 μm. The ink has an effective coefficient of linear thermal expansion, α.sub.20-300,eff, in a range from 6.5*10.sup.−6/K to 11*10.sup.−6/K.

A holding apparatus including a holding substrate having a first main face on one side in a thickness direction thereof, and a heat generation section which is disposed in the holding substrate and generates heat when energized. The heat generation section includes a plurality of first heating elements arrayed in a planar direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the holding substrate, and a second heating element disposed on a side toward the first main face in the thickness direction with respect to the plurality of first heating elements. Any one of the plurality of first heating elements is electrically connected to the second heating element in series through a first via extending in the thickness direction within the holding substrate.

A holding apparatus including a holding substrate having a first main face on one side in a thickness direction thereof, and a heat generation section which is disposed in the holding substrate and generates heat when energized. The heat generation section includes a plurality of first heating elements arrayed in a planar direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the holding substrate, and a second heating element disposed on a side toward the first main face in the thickness direction with respect to the plurality of first heating elements. Any one of the plurality of first heating elements is electrically connected to the second heating element in series through a first via extending in the thickness direction within the holding substrate.