摘要 |
A green ceramic heater including a green heating resistor formed of an electrically conductive ceramic (e.g., silicide or carbide of a metal element such as W, Ta, or Nb) and an insulative ceramic (e.g., silicon nitride) and power supply leads (e.g., made of W), a first end of each power supply lead being connected to a corresponding end of the green heating resistor, the green heating resistor and the power supply leads buried in a green substrate formed of a material (e.g., silicon nitride) is fired, and subsequently, the resultant ceramic heater is heat-treated at 900 to 1,600° C., to thereby enhance flexural strength of the ceramic heater. The heat treatment is preferably carried out prior to forming a glass layer on an outer circumferential surface of the ceramic heater. When the heat treatment is performed after the fired ceramic heater has been polished so as to expose a second end of each power supply lead from a surface of the substrate, the heat treatment is preferably carried out in an inert atmosphere.
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