Provided are a silver powder having powder physical properties enabling reduction of volume resistivity after firing and a method of producing this silver powder. The silver powder has a tap density of 4.8 g/mL or more, a TAP/D50 value (value determined by dividing the tap density (g/mL) by the volume-based median diameter (?m)) of not less than 7 and not more than 15, and a specific surface area of not less than 0.75 m.sup.2/g and not more than 1.3 m.sup.2/g.

The powder classifying apparatus classifies raw material powder having a particle size distribution into fine powder and coarse powder and includes a disk-like centrifuge chamber formed as a space between two facing members, a plurality of air nozzles for supplying gas into the centrifuge chamber to generate a whirling stream, a raw material ejecting nozzle for supplying the raw material powder to the whirling stream generated in the centrifuge chamber, a fine powder collecting tube disposed in a central portion of one of the two facing members and communicating with the centrifuge chamber to discharge the gas including the fine powder separated in the centrifuge chamber to the outside, a cylindrical first wall disposed at an opening portion formed of the fine powder collecting tube, and a cylindrical second wall disposed on the other one of the two facing members and facing the first wall with a given interval.

The powder classifying apparatus classifies raw material powder having a particle size distribution into fine powder and coarse powder and includes a disk-like centrifuge chamber formed as a space between two facing members, a plurality of air nozzles for supplying gas into the centrifuge chamber to generate a whirling stream, a raw material ejecting nozzle for supplying the raw material powder to the whirling stream generated in the centrifuge chamber, a fine powder collecting tube disposed in a central portion of one of the two facing members and communicating with the centrifuge chamber to discharge the gas including the fine powder separated in the centrifuge chamber to the outside, a cylindrical first wall disposed at an opening portion formed of the fine powder collecting tube, and a cylindrical second wall disposed on the other one of the two facing members and facing the first wall with a given interval.

A classifier for classifying granular feedstock has a rotary cage rotating about a rotor axis and an air-guiding system arranged around the rotary cage, wherein a classifying zone is formed between the rotary cage and the air-guiding system. In the classifying zone one or more baffles are arranged such that the torque acting on the rotary cage is increasedfor the same rotational speedby at least 20% with respect to an embodiment without baffles and/or the separation between the air-guiding system and the rotary cage is chosen such that the torque acting on the rotary cage is increasedfor the same rotational speedby at least 20% with respect to an embodiment wherein the separation of the air-guiding system is without influence on the torque of the rotary cage.

An ejection hood apparatus includes a transfer conduit and a hood. The transfer conduit includes a downwardly concave control shell. An inlet end portion of the transfer conduit receives an upwardly directed transfer air stream including ejected material with at least a partially upward trajectory. The hood defines an ejection chamber including a lower chamber portion and an upper chamber portion. The lower chamber portion receives the transfer air stream from an outlet end portion of the transfer conduit with at least a partially downward trajectory. The hood includes at least one air outlet passage communicated with the upper chamber portion for exhausting at least a portion of the transfer air stream.

The present invention provides methods of manufacturing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP polishing) layer for polishing substrates, such as semiconductor wafers comprising providing a composition of a plurality of liquid-filled microelements having a polymeric shell; classifying the composition via centrifugal air classification to remove fines and coarse particles and to produce liquid-filled microelements having a density of 800 to 1500 g/liter; and, forming the CMP polishing layer by (i) converting the classified liquid-filled microelements into gas-filled microelements by heating them, then mixing them with a liquid polymer matrix forming material and casting or molding the resulting mixture to form a polymeric pad matrix, or (ii) combining the classified liquid-filled microelements directly with the liquid polymer matrix forming material, and casting or molding.

A high-efficiency, tandem biaxial dynamic sorting and return powder milling device with automatic baffle regulation, which is used for the sorting of a gas-solid two-phase fluid of an air-powder mixture, is provided. A circle of milling gears for staged milling of return powders is mounted in an annular cavity between an outer conical housing and an inlet pipe; an axial flow airfoil-type vane is fitted on an outer side of a lower part of an inner conical body which is, as a whole, driven into rotation by a variable frequency motor; a movable vane rotor for centrifugal sorting is fixedly fitted on an outer side of a top cone; and the degrees of opening of first-stage baffles and second-stage baffles are respectively controlled and regulated by an automatic baffle regulating mechanism.

A system for processing compounds having constituent materials of different mechanical characteristics to extract their constituent materials. The system includes a kinetic impactor configured to impact, via a shockwave, compound particles of a preimpact mixture, thereby creating a postimpact mixture including (i) subparticles of 1.sup.st-constituent-material and (ii) reduced-compound particles including a 2nd constituent material.

A pyrolysis chamber arrangement includes a pyrolysis chamber, a solid feed system and inner and outer heating elements. The pyrolysis chamber defines a toroidal passage extending along a chamber axis between inlet and outlet ends. The solid feed system includes an auger and ram assembly operable to supply particulate feedstock to the toroidal passage at the inlet end. The inner and outer heating elements extend outside inner and outer walls of the toroidal passage, respectively, and supply thermal input therethrough. An inner passage can be defined in the pyrolysis chamber, allowing gas or other pyrolysis to be accomplished simultaneously with the pyrolysis in the toroidal chamber.

A method of increasing volume ratio of magnetic particles in a MnBi alloy includes operating a jet miller fed with a MnBi alloy powder containing magnetic particles and non-magnetic particles with gas flow parameters selected such that, only for the magnetic particles, a gas drag force is greater than a centrifugal force within the jet miller to separate the magnetic particles from the non-magnetic particles.