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EP-4737406-A1 - BONDING AND SEALING MATERIALS

EP4737406A1EP 4737406 A1EP4737406 A1EP 4737406A1EP-4737406-A1

Abstract

A silicate glass comprising a Group 4 oxide, its use for joining and sealing materials, a sealing joint formed of the silicate glass, a method for joining and sealing materials with the silicate glass and a capacitive diaphragm gauge comprising the silicate glass to join and seal a membrane to a housing.

Inventors

  • MATA OSORO, GUSTAVO
  • ÅKERMARK, Torbjörn
  • BÜHLMANN, Kevin
  • ANDREAUS, Bernhard

Assignees

  • Inficon AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20241101

Claims (15)

  1. Use of a silicate glass (1) for joining and sealing materials (2) other than silicate glass materials, wherein the silicate glass comprises a Group 4 oxide.
  2. The use according to claim 1, wherein the Group 4 oxide is selected from the group consisting of Ti oxide, Zr oxide and Hf oxide, optionally TiO 2 , ZrO 2 and HfO 2 , optionally HfO 2 ; and/or the silicate glass (1) comprises 0.001 mol% to 10 mol%, optionally 0.001 mol% to 5 mol%, optionally 0.001 mol% to 2 mol% of the Group 4 oxide.
  3. The use according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the materials (2) other than silicate glass materials are ceramic or metallic materials.
  4. The use according to claim 3, wherein the ceramic materials are an oxide of aluminium, beryllium, cerium, zirconium, yttrium, or a combination thereof, optionally materials comprising or consisting of Al 2 O 3 , aluminium nitride (AlN) and/or silicon carbide (SiC).
  5. The use according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the silicate glass (1) for joining and sealing and the CTE of the materials (2) other than silicate glass materials deviate less than about 20%, optionally less than about 5%, optionally less than about 2%.
  6. The use according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the joining and sealing is gas-tight.
  7. The use according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the silicate glass (1) for joining and sealing is selected from the group consisting of fused quartz glass, soda-lime glass and borosilicate glass.
  8. The use according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the silicate glass (1) for joining and sealing comprises at least one of Na 2 O, CaO and B 2 O 3 .
  9. The use according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the silicate glass (1) for joining and sealing comprises SiO 2 , Na 2 O, B 2 O 3 and optionally CaO.
  10. The use according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the silicate glass (1) for joining and sealing comprises 0.001 mol% to 10 mol% Hf, optionally 0.001 mol% to 5 mol% Hf, optionally 0.001 mol% to 2 mol% mol% Hf.
  11. The use according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the silicate glass (1) for joining and sealing comprises 25 mol% to 40 mol% B 2 O 3 , 15 mol% to 30 mol% Na 2 O, 35 mol% to 50 mol% SiO 2 , and/or 0.001 mol% to 5 mol% CaO.
  12. A method for joining and sealing materials (2) other than silicate glass materials comprising the steps of (a) providing materials (2) other than silicate glass materials as defined in any of claims 1 to 11, and (b) sealing and joining the materials (2) of step (a) with a silicate glass (1) as defined in any of claims 1 to 11.
  13. A sealing joint formed of a silicate glass (1) and materials (2) other than silicate glass materials as defined in any of claims 1 to 11.
  14. A capacitive diaphragm gauge (8) having a ceramic membrane (3), a housing (4), optionally a ceramic housing, and a sealing joint formed of a silicate glass (1) as defined in any of claims 1 to 11 establishing a vacuum-tight joint between the ceramic membrane (3) and the housing (4).
  15. A silicate glass (1) for joining and sealing materials (2) other than silicate glass materials, wherein the silicate glass consists of 25 mol% to 40 mol% B 2 O 3 , 15 mol% to 30 mol% Na 2 O, 35 mol% to 50 mol% SiO 2 , 0.001 mol% to 5 mol% CaO, and x mol% HfO 2 , wherein x is > 0, optionally 1 to 12, optionally 1 to 4 or 1 to 4.5.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The current invention relates to a silicate glass for joining and sealing materials. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART Numerous compositions are known for joining components in a gas-tight, in particular vacuum-tight manner. However, the compositions' resilience towards temperature and their chemical or mechanical durability vary greatly and limit the application possibilities of specific compositions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a task of current invention to provide compositions that have utility in sealing and joining materials, preferably in a gas-tight manner, with acceptable resilience to temperature and different chemical environments. This task is solved by the use of a glass with the features of claim 1. Further embodiments of the use, as well as a method for joining and sealing materials, a sealing joint, a silicate glass, as well as a capacitive diaphragm gauge comprising a joint formed by the glass are defined by the features of further claims. In an aspect, the present invention is directed to a use of a silicate glass for joining and sealing materials other than silicate glass materials, wherein the silicate glass comprises a Group 4 oxide. It was surprisingly found that a silicate glass comprising a Group 4 oxide can effectively join and seal materials other than itself, i.e. materials other than silicate glass, for example ceramic materials. This silicate glass can form a gas-tight joint that is resistant to different chemical environments (e.g. plasma environments and/or environments comprising Cl2, NF3, CF4, and/or BCl3) and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) can be modified by the type and amount of the Group 4 oxide, e.g. in order to align the CTE of the glass joint to the CTE of the materials which are joined and sealed by the glass. The term "silicate glass" refers to any glass that comprises silicon dioxide, in particular as its main component. Silicate glass explicitly includes borosilicate glass, e.g. with 5 to 20 weight% boron trioxide, fused quartz glass and soda-lime glass. Silicate glass and borosilicate glass may comprise further components such as aluminium oxide (e.g. Al2O3), sodium carbonate, sodium oxide, potassium oxide, oxides of iron, cobalt, barium, thorium, lanthanum or cerium, fluorine. Specifically, the silicate glass for use in the present invention may comprise rare earth metals, e.g. scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium and/or lutetium, e.g. up to 2 weight%. The glass for use in the present invention can join and seal components other than itself, i.e. materials other than silicate glass, e.g. ceramics or metals. This means that the glass can establish a mechanical connection, in particular a stable and/or non-detachable connection, between two components made of materials other than silicate glass, and at the same time seal the connection, e.g. in a gas-tight manner. The materials other than silicate glass are only limited to the extent that these materials are not silicate glass materials. The materials can be of the same chemical composition or two materials of different chemical compositions can be joined and sealed. In an embodiment, these materials include any material that is not made of the same chemical composition as the silicate glass used for forming the joint. The materials other than silicate glass include, for example, solid (at room temperature) materials, such as metals and ceramics. The silicate glass for use in the present invention comprises at least one, or a combination of Group 4 oxide(s). "Group 4" refers to the second group of transition metals containing Ti, Zr, Hf and Rf. The amount of the Group 4 oxide is not limited and the skilled person can adjust the amount according to the needs of a given application, e.g. to adjust the CTE. For example, the skilled person can choose a suitable glass and/or Group 4 oxide and/or Group 4 oxide content such that the CTE of the glass and of the material to be joined, e.g. a ceramic material, is matched as much as possible to ensure a good joining. The CTE can be verified by standard means such as dilatometry, interferometry, and thermomechanical analysis, e.g. according to standards ASTM E831, ASTM E22, or DIN EN 821-1. For example, the silicate glass can be applied in a molten state between two materials to be joined, or on one or both of the materials and the other material is subsequently positioned on the material comprising the molten glass. In an example, the silicate glass is screen printed over one material, e.g. a ceramic part, then the other material, e.g. a ceramic counterpart, is positioned on the printed glass, heat is then applied until the glass is molten, and the sandwich is cooled to solidify the joint. In an embodiment of the use of a silicate glass according to the present invention, which may be combined with any of the embodime