Hermetically sealed windows for optical, laser, and infrared applications rely on the company’s polycrystalline
Kryoflex material to produce sight or wave-guide windows that maintain integrity under extreme environmental conditions. Optical glasses include sapphire, quartz, and BK10. The windows are designed to be laser welded to metals such as aluminum, titanium, and iron/nickel alloys.
PA&E
Wenatchee, WA
www.pacero.com
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PRESS RELEASE
PA&E Announces New Ceramic Sealed Hermetic Windows
Sealing Process Offers Highest Levels of Hermetic Performance, Greater Flexibility
Wenatchee, WA – Feb. 18, 2010 – PA&E is now using its patented ceramic-to-metal sealing technology to manufacture hermetically sealed windows for optical, laser and infrared applications. The unique bonding properties and polycrystalline structure of PA&E’s Kryoflex® material now allow the company to produce sight or wave-guide windows that maintain the highest levels of hermetic integrity under the extreme environmental conditions. This new product is particularly well suited for space or defense-related LADAR, laser designation/acquisition systems and medical endoscopes.
PA&E’s ceramic-sealed hermetic windows offer engineers additional advantages beyond high hermetic performance. Because Kryoflex seals at relatively low temperatures, they can now choose from a variety of optical glasses such as sapphire, quartz and BK10. These new windows are also designed to be laser welded to a range of metals, including aluminum, titanium and iron/nickel alloys, for additional flexibility.
Windows produced with this new process are extremely robust and reliable because a key point of failure – solder joint fatigue – is eliminated. They provide a leak rate equal to or less than 1X10-9 cc/sec helium at 1 atmospheric differential pressure, even when subjected to extreme thermal and mechanical shock and, in medical applications, will maintain integrity after repeated autoclave sterilization.
Unlike solder- or braze-sealed windows, PA&E’s ceramic-sealed hermetic windows do not require metallization. Eliminating this step can, reduce both costs and processing time and allows anti-reflective coatings to be applied after the sealing process, ensuring that the critical A/R coating is not impacted by subsequent processing.
PA&E also offers a number of other window sealing options including: proprietary active braze sealing; a patented direct sealing process; standard braze sealing and solder sealing. For more information on hermetic windows from PA&E or to learn more about the company’s other interconnect products, EMI filters, and integrated electronic packaging capabilities, contact PA&E at 509-664-8000 or visit http://www.pacaero.com.
PA&E, Inc. is an integrated manufacturing company, specializing in technically demanding ceramic and metal components and assemblies, hermetic connectors and advanced micro-electronic hermetic packaging for global leaders in the defense, space, medical and commercial industries. PA&E is ISO 9001:2008/AS9100 Rev B certified and NADCAP compliant.