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Tekna Seal has developed improved technology to fabricate
optically clear windows for the hermetic packages used to
protect photonic devices.
 Until
recently, the glass that could be used and the life of the
device was limited by the materials and processes available
to seal the glass into a metal frame that could be subsequently
sealed to the body of the hermetic package.
The high performance optical glasses that would provide
the best performance of the packaged device could not be
used because they could not be reliably bonded to commercially
available metals. The solution is to use metal injection
molding (MIM) technology to tailor the thermal expansion
properties of the metal frame to match the coefficient of
expansion of the desired glass, and then use the Tekna Seal
Oxide-Free glass sealing process to form a rugged and stress-free
glass-to-metal bond.
Tekna Seal's partner in metal injection molded glass sealed
windows is FloMet, which has developed the MIM technology
to economically fabricate packages and frames from custom
blended nickel / iron and nickel / iron / cobalt alloys
designed to match many high performance optical glasses.
These custom blended alloys are not available in wrought
form, so they have previously not been available to use
in the fabrication of high performance hermetic optical
assemblies.
Click here for more information on the optical
feedthrough process.
More information on the MIM process can be found on FloMet's
web page at: www.flomet.com
Benefits of the Tekna Seal / FloMet Process for Hermetically
Sealed Optical Windows:
- Ability to use a wide variety of optical glasses providing
high transmittance and freedom from bubbles and inclusions.
- Highest levels of hermeticity far surpassing frit sealed
windows and adhesive bonded windows in order to provide
the longest life for the packaged optical devices.
- Elimination of the metallization required for solder
or braze sealed windows.
- Post sealing optical processing for best optical properties.
- Stress free window assemblies for lowest birefringence.
- Cost savings in moderate to high volume production.
The information contained in this message has been disclosed
in a pending patent filed by Tekna Seal LLC with the U.S.
Patent Office.
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