Method of manufacturing ceramic sintered bodies

A method of manufacturing a ceramic sintered body having a different thickness along a predetermined axial direction, comprising the steps of:

• setting a sintering support tool having a cylinder, an upper trascribing forming mold and a lower transcribing forming mold in a hot press apparatus;
• supplying ceramic raw materials between the upper transcribing forming mold and the lower transcribing forming mold in the cylinder of the sintering support tool;
• performing one directional pressing of the ceramic raw materials by means of the upper transcribing forming mold and the lower transcribing forming mold to obtain a first formed body;
• setting an electrode member on the first formed body;
• supplying ceramic raw materials on the first formed body, on which the electrode is set, in the cylinder of the sintering support tool;
• and
• applying a pressure along an axial direction of the sintering support tool to the first formed body, on which the electrode member is set, while heating the first formed body to perform a hot press sintering thereof to thus form the ceramic sintered body, wherein the ceramic sintered body has a dome shape including a projected upper surface and a concaved lower surface, and a thickness that is controlled in such a manner that a maximum thickness in the predetermined direction is not two times or more larger than a minimum thickness in the predetermined direction.