Ceramic sintered body and process for producing the same

1. A ceramic sintered body comprising from 92 to 99.5% by volume of cordierite and from 0.5 to 8% by volume of mullite based on 100% by weight of a total sum of the contents of the cordierite and the mullite, wherein the crystal phase of said sintered body detected by x-ray diffraction measurements consists only of a cordierite phase and a mullite phase including inevitable impurities, and having a density of 2.48 g/cm 3 or more, wherein the cordierite crystal has a mean particle size of 2 μm or less, and wherein said ceramic sintered body has a thermal expansion coefficient, as measured at 20 to 25° C., of from −0.03 to 0.16 ppm/K and a value, as obtained by dividing a Young's modulus by the density, of 54.7 to 56.5 Gpa/g/cm 3 or more.

2. A semi-conductor manufacture device comprising the ceramic sintered body according to claim 1 .

3. A vacuum chuck comprising the ceramic sintered body according to claim 1 .

4. An electrostatic chuck comprising the ceramic sintered body according to claim 1 .

5. A process for producing a ceramic sintered body according to claim 1 , which comprises:

mixing at least one of a magnesium oxide powder, and a magnesium compound powder that becomes magnesium oxide upon heating, an aluminum oxide powder, an aluminum compound powder that becomes aluminum oxide upon heating, a silicon oxide powder and a silicon compound powder that becomes silicon oxide upon heating, and at least one of composite oxide powders of magnesium, aluminum and silicon; and

sintering the mixture so as to comprise from 92 to 99.5% by volume of cordierite and from 0.5 to 8% by volume of mullite based on 100% by weight of a total sum of the contents of the cordierite and the mullite.

6. The process according to claim 5 , wherein the powders have a mean particle size of 2.0 μm or less.

7. The process according to claim 5 , wherein the sintering is carried out at from 1,300 to 1,450° C. for from 1 to 5 hours.