Nippon Tungsten Co., Ltd.

Sumitomo Special Metals Co., Ltd.

Fukuoka Prefecture

Osamu Nakano

Toyoshige Sasaki

Shigeki Mohri

Shin Mishima

Shigeru Kawahara

Michito Miyahara

Yusuke Hara

Shinji Tsujimoto

Kunitaka Fujiyoshi

Yoko Taniguchi

Toru Okui

Teruhisa Makino

Toshiaki Wada

Naoyuki Okamoto

Takashi Kaimoto

Koichi Inenaga

Masanori Saito

Disclosed is a highly-pure fine titanium carbide powder having a maximum particle size of 100 nm or less and containing metals except titanium in an amount of 0.05 wt % or less and free carbon in an amount of 0.5 wt % or less. The powder has a NaCl-type crystal structure, and a composition represented by TiCxOyNz, wherein X, Y and Z satisfy the relations: 0.5&#x2266;X&#x2266;1.0; 0&#x2266;Y&#x2266;0.3; 0&#x2266;Z&#x2266;0.2; and 0.5&#x2266;X+Y+Z&#x2266;1.0.) The powder is produced by: dissolving an organic substance serving as a carbon source in a solvent to prepare a liquid, wherein the organic substance contains at least one OH or COOH group which is a functional group coordinatable to titanium of titanium alkoxide, and no element except C, H, N and O; mixing titanium alkoxide with the liquid to satisfy the following relation: 0.7&#x2266;&#x3b1;&#x2266;1.0 (wherein &#x3b1; is a molar ratio of the carbon source to the titanium alkoxide), so as to obtain a precursor solution; and subjecting a product in the precursor solution to a heat treatment in a non-oxidizing atmosphere or a vacuum atmosphere at a temperature of 1050 to 1500&#xb0; C. The present invention can provide fine titanium carbide powders with nano-scale particle sizes, which are free of inorganic impurities, such as titanium oxide and metal, low in free carbon, and effective in enhancing characteristics of a titanium carbide-ceramics composite sintered body.

Titanium carbide powder and titanium carbide-ceramics composite powder and method for production thereof, and sintered compact from the titanium carbide powder and sintered compact from the titanium carbide/ceramics composite powders and method for production thereof

To provide a substrate material having characteristics suitable to a magnetic head for attaining high recording density. A substrate material for a magnetic head comprising a matrix phase of a carbide of one or more of Ti, W and Ta and a dispersion phase of an oxide of one or more of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, CrO.sub.3, and ZrO.sub.2, in which the material comprises 60 to 95 vol % of the matrix phase of the carbide. Further, a single phase in which the ingredients of carbides as the matrix phase comprise (Ti.sub.j W.sub.m Ta.sub.n)C.sub.x is preferred. Further, oxygen and/or nitrogen may be solid-solubilized in the carbide MeC of the matrix phase wherein Me is one or more of Ti, W, and Ta.

Substrate material for a magnetic head

PTC planar heater and method for adjusting the resistance of the same

Substrate materials for magnetic heads consisting of 24-75 mol % of .alpha.-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and the remaining 76-25 mol % of TiC.sub.x O.sub.y N.sub.z containing a small amount of additives, that has a NaCl-type structure which retain known characteristics required on such materials and have controlled sizes of crystallites of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and TiC.sub.x O.sub.y N.sub.z, uniformly dispersed TiC.sub.x O.sub.y N.sub.z crystallites and, if any, additive elements, in which internal stress is relieved. The materials are intended for eliminating problems in IBE to form steps and thus for fabricating high-precision thin-film heads for high-density recording.

Substrate materials for magnetic head

Substrate materials for magnetic heads consisting of 24-75 mol % of .alpha.-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and the remaining 76-25 mol % of TiC.sub.X O.sub.Y N.sub.Z, or TiC.sub.X O.sub.Y N.sub.Z containing a small amount of additives, that has a NaCl-type structure which retain known characteristics required on such materials and have controlled sizes of crystallites of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and TiC.sub.X O.sub.Y N.sub.Z, uniformly dispersed TiC.sub.X O.sub.Y N.sub.Z crystallites and, if any, additive elements, in which internal stress is relieved. The materials are intended for eliminating problems in machining to form steps and thus for fabricating high-precision thin-film heads for high-density recording.

Substrate materials for magnetic heads with low flying height

Growing community of inventors

Fukuoka, Japan

Osamu Nakano