Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
A method for preparing a green sheet comprising the steps of: preparing a mixture of hollow silica microspheres, borosilicate glass powder and ceramic powder as a principle ingredient; adding a plasticizer, a binder and a solvent to the mixture; kneading the mixture and forming it into a green sheet; and for the step of preparing the mixture, providing hollow silica microspheres having the same specific gravity as that of the solvent, said specific gravity being in the range of from about 0.78 g/cm 3 to about 1.50 g/cm 3 .
Claim 2
Independent Claim
90 words
A method for preparing a green sheet comprising the steps of: preparing a mixture of hollow silica microspheres, borosilicate glass powder and ceramic powder as a principle ingredient; adding a plasticizer, a binder and a solvent to the mixture; kneading the mixture and forming it into a green sheet; and for the step of preparing the mixture, providing hollow silica microspheres having the same specific gravity as that of the solvent, said specific gravity being in the range of from about 0.78 g/cm 3 to about 1.50 g/cm 3 .
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
109 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the hollow silica microspheres of said same specific gravity as that of the solvent comprises: forming a dispersion of hollow silica microspheres in a volume of the solvent; and selectively recovering the hollow silica microspheres which are suspended in the solvent by removing the hollow silica microspheres which are floating on the liquid surface of the volume of the solvent and those which are deposited at the bottom of the volume of the solvent, the hollow silica microspheres, of the dispersion thereof, which remain suspended in the solvent thereby having said same specific gravity as that of the solvent.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
111 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the hollow silica microspheres of said same specific gravity as that of the solvent comprises: mixing tetraethoxy silane, water, ethanol and hydrochloric acid to form a solution thereof; selecting hollow silica microspheres having an average particle diameter of about 10 μm and an average specific gravity of about 0.5 g/cm 3 and immersing the selected hollow silica microspheres in the solution; stirring the solution to activate an hydrolysis; drying the thus stirred and activated solution by a spray-dry method; and heating the hollow silica microspheres thereby to form coated microspheres having an average specific gravity of about 1.08 g/cm 3 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
110 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the hollow silica microspheres of said same specific gravity as that of the solvent comprises: mixing tetraethoxy silane, trimethoxy boron, water, ethanol and hydrochloric acid to provide a solution thereof; selecting hollow silica microspheres having an average particle diameter of about 10 μm and an average specific gravity of about 0.5 g/cm 3 and immersing the hollow silica microspheres in the solution; stirring the solution to activate an hydrolysis; drying the thus stirred and activated solution by a spray-dry method; and heating the resultant microspheres to form coated microspheres having and average specific gravity of about 1.08 g/cm 3 .
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the ceramic powder comprises aluminum as a constituent element.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the ceramic powder is selected from the group consisting of alumina, mullite and aluminum nitride powder.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
108 words
A method for producing a ceramic substrate having a improved value of dielectric constant, comprising the steps of: preparing a mixture of hollow silica microspheres, borosilicate glass powder and ceramic powder as a principal ingredient, adding a plasticizer, a binder and a solvent to the mixture, kneading the mixture and forming it into a green sheet, and for the step of preparing the mixture, providing hollow silica microspheres having the same specific gravity as that of the solvent, said specific gravity being in the range of from about 0.78 g/cm 3 to about 1.50 g/cm 3 ; and calcining the green sheet thereby to produce the ceramic substrate.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
108 words
A method for producing a ceramic substrate having a improved value of dielectric constant, comprising the steps of: preparing a mixture of hollow silica microspheres, borosilicate glass powder and ceramic powder as a principal ingredient, adding a plasticizer, a binder and a solvent to the mixture, kneading the mixture and forming it into a green sheet, and for the step of preparing the mixture, providing hollow silica microspheres having the same specific gravity as that of the solvent, said specific gravity being in the range of from about 0.78 g/cm 3 to about 1.50 g/cm 3 ; and calcining the green sheet thereby to produce the ceramic substrate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 7 wherein the calcining step is performed by firing the green sheet at a temperature in the range from about 950° C. to about 1050° C.