OXIDATION BEHAVIOR OF KOVAR ALLOY IN AIR ATOMOSPHERE

The excellent match of thermal expansion between Borosilicate glasses and Kovar alloy eventuated to use these materials in production of seal parts similar; microelectronics devices, thermal receivers. According to nonmetallic properties of glasses, making metallurgical bound between metal and glass direct is almostimpossible because of wettability conditions. This problem can be solved by producing intermediate oxide layer, on the surface of Kovar. The oxidation of the Kovar alloy experiments at air atmosphere were conducted by using resistance tubular furnace. Changes in temperature and time factors resulted differentoxide layer thicknesses. XRD studies showed that the oxide layer mainly consists of Fe2O3 and Fe3O4. The layers' thicknesses were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy at 750°C for 10min. According to the results, to have an optimum oxidation process, with an optimum thickness, a controlled atmosphere is necessary.

Keywords:

Kovar alloy , Oxidation , Heat treatment , Air atmosphere