Abstract: It is difficult for a Cr—Si-based sintered body composed of chromium silicide (CrSi2) and silicon (Si) to have high strength. Provided is a Cr—Si-based sintered body including Cr (chromium) and silicon (Si), in which the crystal structure attributed by X-ray diffraction is composed of chromium silicide (CrSi2) and silicon (Si), a CrSi2 phase is present at 60 wt % or more in a bulk, a density of the sintered body is 95% or more, and an average grain size of the CrSi2 phase is 60 ?m or less.

Abstract: A method for producing a chromium sintered body includes a heat treatment step of heat-treating electrolytic chromium flakes at 1,200° C. or higher and 1,400° C. or lower, and a firing step of, after the heat treatment step, filling a container with the electrolytic chromium flakes and firing a resulting filling product by hot isostatic pressing.

Abstract: It is difficult for a Cr—Si-based sintered body composed of chromium silicide (CrSi2) and silicon (Si) to have high strength. Provided is a Cr—Si-based sintered body including Cr (chromium) and silicon (Si), in which the crystal structure attributed by X-ray diffraction is composed of chromium silicide (CrSi2) and silicon (Si), a CrSi2 phase is present at 60 wt % or more in a bulk, a density of the sintered body is 95% or more, and an average grain size of the CrSi2 phase is 60 ?m or less.

Abstract: An oxide sintered body is provided which does not splash from the target surface even at the time of high power film formation, has a high film formation rate, and is used in a sputtering target capable of providing a high-refractive-index film. An oxide sintered body is used which contains zinc, niobium, aluminum and oxygen as constituent elements and in which Nb/(Zn+Nb+Al)=0.076 to 0.289 and Al/(Zn+Nb+Al)=0.006 to 0.031, where Zn, Nb and Al denote contents of zinc, niobium and aluminum, respectively.

Abstract: Provided is a cylindrical ceramic sputtering target, which significantly reduces the occurrence of a crack, a chip, extraordinary discharge and a nodule. By filling a molten bonding material in a cavity defined by a cylindrical ceramic target material and a cylindrical base material, starting cooling the molten bonding material from its one end toward its other end in a cylindrical axial direction in sequence, and further filling the molten bonding material in the cavity during cooling, a cylindrical ceramic sputtering target is manufactured so as to be characterized in that as observed by an X-ray radiograph of the bonding material, the total area of portions where no bonding material exists is 10 cm2 or less per 50 cm2 of X-ray radiograph area, and the maximum area of the portions where no bonding material exists is 9 cm2 or less.

Abstract: An oxide sintered body is provided which does not splash from the target surface even at the time of high power film formation, has a high film formation rate, and is used in a sputtering target capable of providing a high-refractive-index film. An oxide sintered body is used which contains zinc, niobium, aluminum and oxygen as constituent elements and in which Nb/(Zn+Nb+Al)=0.076 to 0.289 and Al/(Zn+Nb+Al)=0.006 to 0.031, where Zn, Nb and Al denote contents of zinc, niobium and aluminum, respectively.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sintered oxide to be used for a sputtering target, whereby little abnormal discharge occurs even during high-power film-deposition and no cracking occurs in the target. A sintered oxide having zinc, aluminum, titanium and oxygen, as constituent elements, characterized in that when the contents of zinc, aluminum and titanium are represented by Zn, Al, and Ti, respectively, the atomic ratios of the elements constituting the sintered oxide are Al/(Zn+Al+Ti)=0.035 to 0.050 and Ti/(Zn+Al+Ti)=0.05 to 0.20, and the average grain size of crystal grains having a Zn2TiO4 crystal phase as the matrix phase in the sintered oxide, is at most 5 ?m.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus that includes a molding die for producing a sintered body. The molding die is configured for cold isostatic pressing and includes a knockdown mold frame comprised of plural frame members and a bottom plate provided in contact with the knockdown mold frame. An upper punch is provided to be movable along the inner surface of the knockdown mold frame. The frame members configured to be movable relative to each other to accommodate an expansion of a green body which takes place at the time of reducing the pressure after the completion of pressing.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sintered oxide to be used for a sputtering target, whereby little abnormal discharge occurs even during high-power film-deposition and no cracking occurs in the target. A sintered oxide having zinc, aluminum, titanium and oxygen, as constituent elements, characterized in that when the contents of zinc, aluminum and titanium are represented by Zn, Al, and Ti, respectively, the atomic ratios of the elements constituting the sintered oxide are Al/(Zn+Al+Ti)=0.035 to 0.050 and Ti/(Zn+Al+Ti)=0.05 to 0.20, and the average grain size of crystal grains having a Zn2TiO4 crystal phase as the matrix phase in the sintered oxide, is at most 5 ?m.

Abstract: Provided is a cylindrical ceramic sputtering target, which significantly reduces the occurrence of a crack, a chip, extraordinary discharge and a nodule. By filling a molten bonding material in a cavity defined by a cylindrical ceramic target material and a cylindrical base material, starting cooling the molten bonding material from its one end toward its other end in a cylindrical axial direction in sequence, and further filling the molten bonding material in the cavity during cooling, a cylindrical ceramic sputtering target is manufactured so as to be characterized in that as observed by an X-ray radiograph of the bonding material, the total area of portions where no bonding material exists is 10 cm2 or less per 50 cm2 of X-ray radiograph area, and the maximum area of the portions where no bonding material exists is 9 cm2 or less.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus that includes a molding die for producing a sintered body. The molding die is configured for cold isostatic pressing and includes a knockdown mold frame comprised of plural frame members and a bottom plate provided in contact with the knockdown mold frame. An upper punch is provided to be movable along the inner surface of the knockdown mold frame. The frame members configured to be movable relative to each other to accommodate an expansion of a green body which takes place at the time of reducing the pressure after the completion of pressing.

Abstract: Provided is a cylindrical sputtering target which attains a high production yield in a film-forming process even when a film is formed by sputtering with a long cylindrical sputtering target constituted by a plurality of cylindrical target materials. A multi-divided cylindrical sputtering target formed by bonding a cylindrical base and a plurality of cylindrical target materials together with a bonding material has a divided portion where adjacent cylindrical target materials are arranged with a gap therebetween, while outer peripheral faces of the adjacent cylindrical target materials have a step of 0.5 mm or less therebetween in the divided portion. Such a target is obtained by fixing the cylindrical target materials with reference to the outer peripheral faces of the cylindrical target materials when arranging the cylindrical target materials with reference to the cylindrical base.

Abstract: To provide a cylindrical sputtering target, whereby cracking during sputtering can be remarkably reduced. A cylindrical sputtering target, wherein a cylindrical target material made of ITO or AZO has a relative density of at least 90%; the angle between the grinding direction on its outer circumferential surface and a straight line parallel with its cylindrical axis (out of such angles, ? represents an angle between 0° and 90°) satisfies 45°<??90° or tan ?>?R/L (where R is an outside diameter of the cylindrical target material, and L is the length of the cylindrical target material); and the surface roughness Ra of the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical target material is at most 3 ?m.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus that includes a molding die for producing a sintered body. The molding die is configured for cold isostatic pressing and includes a knockdown mold frame comprised of plural frame members and a bottom plate provided in contact with the knockdown mold frame. An upper punch is provided to be movable along the inner surface of the knockdown mold frame. The frame members configured to be movable relative to each other to accommodate an expansion of a green body which takes place at the time of reducing the pressure after the completion of pressing.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus that includes a molding die for producing a sintered body. The molding die is configured for cold isostatic pressing and includes a knockdown mold frame comprised of plural frame members and a bottom plate provided in contact with the knockdown mold frame. An upper punch is provided to be movable along the inner surface of the knockdown mold frame. The frame members configured to be movable relative to each other to accommodate an expansion of a green body which takes place at the time of reducing the pressure after the completion of pressing.

Abstract: A hollow cylindrical ceramic sintered body having high density, a process for producing the sintered boy, and a cylindrical ceramic sputtering target having high quality without cracks or breakage, are disclosed. The hollow cylindrical ceramic sintered body is obtained by placing a cylindrical ceramic molding to be sintered on a plate-like ceramic molding having a coefficient of sintering shrinkage similar to that of the cylindrical ceramic molding, and then sintering the resulting assembly, thereby obtaining a hollow cylindrical ceramic sintered body having a relative density of 95% or higher. The cylindrical ceramic sputtering target is prepared using the hollow cylindrical ceramic sintered body.

Abstract: Provided is a cylindrical sputtering target which attains a high production yield in a film-forming process even when a film is formed by sputtering with a long cylindrical sputtering target constituted by a plurality of cylindrical target materials. A multi-divided cylindrical sputtering target formed by bonding a cylindrical base and a plurality of cylindrical target materials together with a bonding material has a divided portion where adjacent cylindrical target materials are arranged with a gap therebetween, while outer peripheral faces of the adjacent cylindrical target materials have a step of 0.5 mm or less therebetween in the divided portion. Such a target is obtained by fixing the cylindrical target materials with reference to the outer peripheral faces of the cylindrical target materials when arranging the cylindrical target materials with reference to the cylindrical base.

Abstract: Provided is a cylindrical ceramic sputtering target, which significantly reduces the occurrence of a crack, a chip, extraordinary discharge and a nodule. By filling a molten bonding material in a cavity defined by a cylindrical ceramic target material and a cylindrical base material, starting cooling the molten bonding material from its one end toward its other end in a cylindrical axial direction in sequence, and further filling the molten bonding material in the cavity during cooling, a cylindrical ceramic sputtering target is manufactured so as to be characterized in that as observed by an X-ray radiograph of the bonding material, the total area of portions where no bonding material exists is 10 cm2 or less per 50 cm2 of X-ray radiograph area, and the maximum area of the portions where no bonding material exists is 9 cm2 or less.

Abstract: To provide a cylindrical sputtering target, whereby cracking during sputtering can be remarkably reduced. A cylindrical sputtering target, wherein a cylindrical target material made of ITO or AZO has a relative density of at least 90%; the angle between the grinding direction on its outer circumferential surface and a straight line parallel with its cylindrical axis (out of such angles, ? represents an angle between 0° and 90°) satisfies 45°<??90° or tan ?>?R/L (where R is an outside diameter of the cylindrical target material, and L is the length of the cylindrical target material); and the surface roughness Ra of the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical target material is at most 3 ?m.

Abstract: A test circuit according to the present invention includes: a synthesis circuit that synthesizes a first test result signal output from a first test target circuit in response to a test instruction, and a second test result signal output from a second test target circuit in response to the test instruction; an inter-block delay generation circuit that delays the second test result signal with respect to the first test result signal; and a test result holding circuit that holds a synthesized test result signal every predetermined timing, the synthesized test result signal being output from the synthesis circuit.