An assembly comprising a substrate 1, a substrate 2 and heat curable adhesive, which is positioned between the substrates 1 and 2, wherein the heat curable adhesive is cured only in a portion of less than 50% of the entire surface covered by the heat curable adhesive. In this manner, the cured parts of the adhesive serve as chemical screws which sufficiently fix the substrates together during further processing steps, but do not involve complete curing of the adhesive.

Assemblies and optical connectors including one or more optical fibers laser-bonded to a substrate, as well as methods for fabricating the same, are disclosed. In one embodiment, an assembly includes a substrate having a surface, an optical element bonded to the surface of the substrate, a bond area between the optical fiber and the surface of the substrate, wherein the bond area includes laser-melted material of the substrate that bonds the optical fiber to the substrate, and a metal buttress structure adjacent to the bond area.

A method for depositing a decorative and/or functional layer on at least a portion of a surface of a finished or semi-finished article made of a non-conductive ceramic material, this deposition method includes the following operations: subjecting the at least a portion of the surface of the article to a carburising or nitriding treatment during which carbon, respectively nitrogen atoms, diffuse in the at least a portion of the surface of the article, then depositing, by galvanic growth of a metallic material, the decorative and/or functional layer on at least a portion of the surface of the article which has undergone the carburising or nitriding treatment.

A method for depositing a decorative and/or functional layer on at least a portion of a surface of a finished or semi-finished article made of a non-conductive ceramic material, this deposition method includes the following operations: subjecting the at least a portion of the surface of the article to a carburising or nitriding treatment during which carbon, respectively nitrogen atoms, diffuse in the at least a portion of the surface of the article, then depositing, by galvanic growth of a metallic material, the decorative and/or functional layer on at least a portion of the surface of the article which has undergone the carburising or nitriding treatment.

A plating method which can achieve a desired dome height is disclosed. The method includes: preparing correlation data showing a relationship between proportion of dome height to bump height and concentration of chloride ions; producing a plating solution containing chloride ions at a concentration which has been selected based on a desired proportion of dome height to bump height and on the correlation data, the selected concentration being in a range of 100 mg/dm.sup.3 to 300 mg/dm.sup.3; immersing a substrate in the plating solution; and passing an electric current between an anode and the substrate, both immersed in the plating solution, thereby plating the substrate to form bumps.

The present invention pertains to an electrode-forming composition comprising: (a) at least one fluoropolymer [polymer (F)]; (b) particles of at least one active electrode material [particles (P)], said particles (P) comprising: a core comprising at least one active electrode compound [compound (NMC)] of formula (I):
Li[Li.sub.x(A.sub.pB.sub.QC.sub.w).sub.1-x]O.sub.2(I)
wherein A, B and C, different from each other, are selected from the group consisting of Fe, Ni, Mn and Co, x is comprised between 0 and 0.3, P is comprised between 0.2 and 0.8, preferably between 0.2 and 0.5, more preferably between 0.2 and 0.4, Q is comprised between 0.1 and 0.4, and W is comprised between 0.1 and 0.4, and an outer layer consisting of a metal compound [compound (M)] different from Lithium, said outer layer at least partially surrounding said core; and (c) a liquid medium [medium (L)]. The present invention also pertains to a process for manufacturing said electrode-forming composition, to the use of said electrode-forming composition in a process for manufacturing a positive electrode and to the positive electrode obtainable therefrom.

A ceramic electronic component including a ceramic element assembly, an external electrode, and an underlying layer. In this ceramic electronic component, the underlying layer is formed on the ceramic element assembly, the external electrode is formed on the underlying layer, the underlying layer is formed of a metal material and a glass material containing a silicon atom, and the metal material exists in a highly dispersed state in the glass material.

A ceramic electronic component including a ceramic element assembly, an external electrode, and an underlying layer. In this ceramic electronic component, the underlying layer is formed on the ceramic element assembly, the external electrode is formed on the underlying layer, the underlying layer is formed of a metal material and a glass material containing a silicon atom, and the metal material exists in a highly dispersed state in the glass material.

A graphene strip includes a plurality of graphene strips, a metal additive and a binding material is provided. The plurality of graphene strips include strips of graphene nanoplatelets. The metal additive is applied to each of the plurality of graphene strips. The binding material couples the plurality of graphene strips together.

A graphene strip includes a plurality of graphene strips, a metal additive and a binding material is provided. The plurality of graphene strips include strips of graphene nanoplatelets. The metal additive is applied to each of the plurality of graphene strips. The binding material couples the plurality of graphene strips together.