Joining Technology

Glasses and ceramic interconnect technologies

 

In various fields of civil engineering, energy technology and electronics high temperature stable, hermetic and corrosion resistant ceramic-to-ceramic and ceramic-to-metal joints are needed. Appropriate materials which are able to match the boundary conditions of these requirements are glass-ceramic materials, active brazes or reactive air brazes. The Fraunhofer IKTS develops brazing and soldering materials as well as brazing technologies for high temperature applications such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), sensor components, ceramic reactors and thermoelectric. These joints must show appropriate electric and thermal conducting or insulating properties and must also have to withstand mechanical stresses. Corrosion and degradation phenomena of brazes and solder materials with aggressive environments and the materials often limit the lifetime of the joint components and therefore also the lifetime of complex devices. Due to a detailed knowledge of degradation processes and failure mechanisms the solder materials and brazes can be adopted for the aspired applications.

 

Services offered

 

• Development and preparation of solder glasses, -elements from tapes as metallic brazing pastes 
  
• Development and adaption of brazing pastes for joining and sealing of ceramics and metals 
  
• Development and characterisation of Glasses for joining and sealing applications 
  
• Analysis of corrosion and degradation behaviour of solder glasses, active brazes and joints 
  
• Design support for ceramic and metallic components for assembling in joint devices 
  
• Consulting and material analysis

 

Special technical Equipment

 

• Complete technology chain for manufacturing and characterization of solder glasses, active brazes and reactive air brazes as well as composites as pastes or tapes with focus on high temperature applications (SOFC, SOEC, ceramic membranes) 
  
• Test sites for characterization of lifetime and thermal cyclisation of joints at temperatures up 1000°C charged by electrical potentials in variable dual atmospheres 
  
• Devices for the brazing and soldering in vacuum and protective gas furnaces as well as by inductive heating 
  
• Equipment for an accompied process control according to a certified quality management system (ISO 9001:2015)