Verfahren zum Verbinden von Bauteilen aus keramischen Werkstoffen und von Metallen mit keramischen Werkstoffen

Producing ceramic/ceramic and ceramic/metal bonds using microwaves comprises: (a) setting an air (or other gas or gas mixture) gap, pref. an adjustable gap in the millimetre range, between the components to be joined; (b) generating a local stationary plasma in the air gap by coupling microwaves into the component materials; and (c) pressing the components together after reaching the joining temperature. USE - Used for bonding ceramic materials, such as alumina (Al2O3), mullite, cordierite, porcelain and silicon nitride (Si3N4), to the same or different ceramic materials or to metals, such as copper (Cu). ADVANTAGE - The process gives a large reduction in internal stress formation at the joint, so that joint quality is increased, and can be carried out simply and rapidly, e.g. in fractions of a second for the heating and bonding times.