Embodiments relate to an improved hydroflux assisted densification process that introduces a transport phase (formed by the introduction of water during the process to suppress melting temperatures) for sintering, the transport phase being a non-aqueous solution. The process can facilitate sintering at low temperature ranges (at or below 300° C.) to yield densification>90% without the need for additional post-processing steps that otherwise would be needed if conventional processes were used. Control of the pressures and water content used during the process can enhance densification mechanisms related to dissolution-reprecipitation, allowing for a greater range of compositional spectra of materials that can be densified, a reduction of the amount of transport phase needed, a reduction of impurities and an improvement of properties in the densified material. Certain hydrated acetate powders can be used to generate a hydroxide mixture flux that is better for the low-temperature densification process.

A chamber component comprises a body and a plasma sprayed ceramic coating on the body. The plasma sprayed ceramic coating is applied using a method that includes feeding powder comprising a yttrium oxide containing solid solution into a plasma spraying system, wherein the powder comprises a majority of donut-shaped particles, each of the donut-shaped particles having a spherical body with indentations on opposite sides of the spherical body. The method further includes plasma spray coating the body to apply a ceramic coating onto the body, wherein the ceramic coating comprises the yttrium oxide containing solid solution, wherein the donut-shaped particles cause the ceramic coating to have an improved morphology and a decreased porosity as compared to powder particles of other shapes, wherein the improved surface morphology comprises a reduced amount of surface nodules.

A chamber component comprises a body and a plasma sprayed ceramic coating on the body. The plasma sprayed ceramic coating is applied using a method that includes feeding powder comprising a yttrium oxide containing solid solution into a plasma spraying system, wherein the powder comprises a majority of donut-shaped particles, each of the donut-shaped particles having a spherical body with indentations on opposite sides of the spherical body. The method further includes plasma spray coating the body to apply a ceramic coating onto the body, wherein the ceramic coating comprises the yttrium oxide containing solid solution, wherein the donut-shaped particles cause the ceramic coating to have an improved morphology and a decreased porosity as compared to powder particles of other shapes, wherein the improved surface morphology comprises a reduced amount of surface nodules.

An oxide sintered body may include zinc, magnesium, a positive trivalent or positive tetravalent metal element X, and oxygen as constituent elements. The atomic ratio of the metal element X to the sum of the zinc, the magnesium, and the metal element X [X/(Zn+Mg+X)] may be 0.0001 or more and 0.6 or less. The atomic ratio of the magnesium to the sum of the zinc and the magnesium [Mg/(Zn+Mg)] may be 0.25 or more and 0.8 or less.

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.

A method includes molding a raw material powder containing a ceramic powder and a thermoplastic resin having a glass transition temperature higher than room temperature into a shape by isostatic pressing and in which a raw material powder slurry is prepared by adding the ceramic powder and the thermoplastic resin to a solvent so that the thermoplastic resin is 2% by weight or more and 40% by weight or less with respect to a total weight of the ceramic powder and the thermoplastic resin, a cast-molded body is to formed by wet-casting the raw material powder slurry into a shape, dried, and subjected to first-stage isostatic press molding at a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin, then this first-stage press-molded body is heated to the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin or above, and warm isostatic press (WIP) molding is performed.

A process for manufacturing ceramic-metal composite material, comprises dissolving ceramic powder into water to obtain an aqueous solution of ceramic; mixing metal powder having a multimodal particle size where largest particle size is one fourth of the minimum dimension of a device, with the aqueous solution of ceramic to obtain a powder containing ceramic precipitated on the surface of metal particles; mixing the powder containing ceramic precipitated on the surface of the metal particles, with ceramic powder having a particle size below 50μ.Math.τ.Math., to obtain a powder mixture; adding saturated aqueous solution of ceramic to the powder mixture to obtain an aqueous composition containing ceramic and metal; compressing the aqueous composition to form a disc of ceramic-metal composite material containing ceramic and metal; and removing water from the ceramic-metal composite material; wherein ceramic content of the disc is 10 vol-% to 35 vol-%. Alternatively, ceramic-ceramic composite material may be manufactured.

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.

The present invention relates to a sintering agent for dry particulate refractory compositions and dry particulate refractory compositions. The use of dry particulate refractory compositions also form part of the present invention.