OXIDATION BEHAVIOR OF KOVAR ALLOY IN CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE

Controlled oxidation experiments were performed on Kovar alloy by changing oxidation atmosphere, temperature, and exposure time to produce films with different oxide type and thickness. The results indicated that single Fe3O4 and single FeO were respectively obtained when Kovar alloy was oxidized in N2-2.31%H2O-0.95%H2 at 500℃ and in N2-2.31%H2O-0.5%H2 at 1000℃, and all kinetic curves followed linear relation; mixed oxides of FeO and Fe3O4 formed when Kovar was oxidized in N2-2.31%H2O at 1000℃and parabolic kinetics were obeyed. Analysis of metallographic cross section of oxides indicated that oxygen diffusion inward through the oxide scale is responsible for intergranular oxide, which had formed beneath the oxide scales when the oxide products were mixed oxides of FeO and Fe3O4, and which did not occur when the oxide was single FeO or Fe3O4. The oxidation model was also established.

Effect of Kovar alloy oxidized in simulated N_2/H_2O atmosphere on its sealing with glass

The effect of Kovar alloy oxidized in simulated field atmosphere on its sealing with glass was studied in this article. After Kovar plates and pins were preoxidized in N2 with 0℃, 10℃ and 20℃ dew points at 1000℃ for different times, Fe304 and Fe203 existed in the oxidation products on Kovar surface, and the quantity of Fe203 increased with increasing dew point and oxidation time. Then they were sealed with borosilicate glass insulator at 1030℃ for 20 rain. The results indicated that the type and quantity of oxidation products would directly influence the quality of glass-to-metal seals. With the increase of oxidation products, gas bubbles in the glass insulator were more serious, the climbing height of glass along the pins was higher, and corrosion of Kovar pins caused from the molten glass was transformed from uniform to the localized.

Direct microwelding of dissimilar glass and Kovar alloy without optical contact using femtosecond laser pulses

In the current microwelding process using femtosecond(fs) laser between dissimilar materials,surface polishing and pressure assistance,so-called optical contact,are believed necessary.In this paper,direct welding of soda lime glass and Kovar alloy using a fs laser is investigated to overcome the limit of optical contact.The processing of fs laser welding is comprehensively studied by varying the laser power,welding velocity and the number of welding.The shear joining strength is as high as 2 MPa.The cross-section of glass-Kovar alloy joints,the elemental diffusion and the fracture behavior of welded joints were studied.The results show that the fs laser irradiates the surface of Kovar alloy,micron/nanometer-sized metal particles are generated.These particles perform the role as an adhesive part in the welding process.It is believed that the Si atoms diffuses to Kovar alloy from the glass and partially replaces the Fe^(2+) ions on the surface of Kovar alloy,indicating that the mixing and interdiffusion of materials have occurred during the welding process.Finally,the welded sample was tested and has excellent water resistance and sealing property.Furthermore,to justify that this method can be applied to other stack ups,the glass-copper,the glass-Al6063 and sapphire-ceramic are also welded together.This work greatly simplifies the fs laser microwelding process and promotes its industrial applications,such as optoelectronic devices,medical devices and MEMS.

Matched glass-to-Kovar seals in N_2 and Ar atmospheres

The oxidation of Kovar alloy was investigated, the wetting and spreading behavior of hard and soft glasses on Kovar alloy were studed by using the sessile drop method, and the quality and the seal strength of glass-Kovar seals were tested. The experimental results indicated that the preoxidation of Kovar alloy for approximately 10 min at 700℃ in air resulted in excellent adherence in glass-Kovar seals. The wetting and spreading behavior of glass on preoxidized Kovar alloy were superior to that on nonoxidized Kovar alloy. The wetting ability of ASF110 glass, at 950℃ and 980℃ in Ar and N2 atmospheres, was significantly superior to that of ASF200R and ASF700 glasses. The seal quality of the glass-preoxidized Kovar seal was superior to that of the glass-nonoxidized Kovar seal. The shear strength of the ASFll0 glass-preoxidized Kovar seal, which was prepared at 980℃ for 20 min in an Ar atmosphere, was approximately 3.9 MPa.

Comparison in interfacial phenomena in electric-field assisted anodic bonding of Kovar-glass and Kovar/Al film-glass

Anodic bonding of Kovar-glass and Kovar/Al film-glass were performed at temperatures of 513 K to 663 K under the static electric voltage of 500 V, in order to compare the interfacial phenomena in electric-field assisted anodic bonding of Kovar-glass and Al-glass . SEM and EPMA were used to observe and analyzed the interfacial region. The growth rate of the alkali ions depletion layers in Kovar/Al-glass joint was slower than that in Kovar-glass joint. But the activation energies for the growth of depletion layers are about the same for both kinds of joint.

Interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of diffusion-bonded joints of titanium TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V) and Kovar (Fe-29Ni-17Co) alloys

Diffusion bonding is a near net shape forming process that can join dissimilar materials through atomic diffusion under a high pressure at a high temperature.Titanium alloy TC4（Ti-6 Al-4 V）and 4 J29 Kovar alloy（Fe-29 Ni-17 Co）were diffusely bonded by a vacuum hot-press sintering process in the temperature range of 700-850°C and bonding time of 120 min,under a pressure of 34.66 MPa.Interfacial microstructures and intermetallic compounds of the diffusion-bonded joints were characterized by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction（XRD）and energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS）.The elemental diffusion across the interface was revealed by electron probe microanalysis.Mechanical properties of joints were investigated by micro Vickers hardness and tensile strength.Results of EDS and XRD indicated that（Fe,Co,Ni）-Ti,TiNi,Ti_2Ni,TiNi_2,Fe_2 Ti,Ti_（17） Mn_3 and Al_6 Ti_（19） were formed at the interface.When the bonding temperature was raised from 700 to 850°C,the voids of interface were reduced and intermetallic layers were widened.Maximum tensile strength of joints at 53.5 MPa was recorded by the sintering process at 850°C for 120 min.Fracture surface of the joint indicated brittle nature,and failure took place through interface of intermetallic compounds.Based on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the diffusion-bonded joints,diffusion mechanisms between Ti-6 Al-4 Vtitanium and Fe-29 Ni-17 Co Kovar alloys were analyzed in terms of elemental diffusion,nucleation and growth of grains,plastic deformation and formation of intermetallic compounds near the interface.