Many modern electronics and advanced-energy products use ceramic-to-metal joints to achieve optimum performance. When service conditions involve the use of high-temperature gases or aggressive liquids, these assemblies must be hermetically sealed to prevent intrusion of the external environment and/or loss of fluid. This is most common in electronics packaging applications where a long-term seal must be maintained between metallic leads and glass or ceramic components. Making these joints can be difficult due to significant differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion between these dissimilar materials, presenting manufacturers with a significant challenge.
EWI Senior Engineer Kirk Cooper has written Leak-tight Ceramic-to-Metal Joints to discuss the influence of ceramic type on material properties, the challenges associated with achieving hermeticity when joining dissimilar materials, and techniques for overcoming these challenges. To read the article, click here.