The Best Way to Package Sensitive Components in Harsh Environments

Sealing electronic packages using laser welding is the most durable and cost effective way to protect electronic components in the harshest of environments, in the most critical of applications: satellite microwave / rf packages, battlefield command and control systems, deep sea sonar and seismic sensors, and medical implants in the human body. The process involves preparing the assembly and then sealing it into a hermetically secure metal package using a computer controlled laser. The process happens in our dedicated ESD space, using our glove box welding systems.

Glove Box System 3
A glove box laser welding system

Application Advantages of Laser Sealed Hermetic Packages

High Reliability

Laser welding provides an exceptionally durable hermetic seal, much more so than epoxy, soldering, or mechanical seals.

Won’t Damage Electrical Parts

Laser beam welding has a very narrow heat affected zone, so hermetic sealing can be performed in very close proximity to sensitive electrical components.

Oxygen and Moisture Free

Vacuum baked assemblies exhibit less than 1 ppm (parts per million) oxygen and moisture – this is a level of  performance that conventional epoxy, solder, and mechanical seals cannot possibly match. The overall glovebox laser welding environment ensures that assemblies remain free of oxidizing contaminants from start to finish.

Flexibility of Container Material

Because Laser Welding can join dissimilar materials and also crack sensitive materials, engineers have a wide range of material options to use in the packaging of the inner components.

Hermetic Packaging Process using Laser Welding

Our base procedure has five stages which ensure maximum protection of the assembly and extremely low failure rates:

ESD/FOD Safe Environment – All parts and assemblies are handled in an electrostatic discharge (ESD) and foreign object damage (FOD) safe room to minimize stray electric charges damaging circuitry. Once parts are readied, they are ready to go into our glove box environment;

Vacuum Baking – Assemblies are baked in a computer controlled vacuum oven, resulting in less than 1 ppm of oxygen and moisture;

Controlled Welding Environment – After baking, assemblies are moved into a glovebox welding station, which is a controlled gas environment which consists of Argon or Nitrogen. Note that the Vacuum Baking and Welding environment are connected and sealed;

CNC Laser Welding – Assemblies are laser hermetically sealed using a CNC controlled laser. The CNC control makes it possible for us to weld complicated cover shapes with relative ease, resulting in a rugged hermetically sealed package;

Leak Checking – Finished hermetic electronics packages are inspected and checked for leaks using Pressure Bombing and Helium Mass Spectrometer testing, then carefully packed for shipment.

Designing a Critical Package?

A laser hermetically sealed component is protected in virtually any hostile environment. An LHS package can be designed in almost any shape or configuration from a variety of metals. Light weight and nearly impervious, perhaps LHS is a solution to your packaging requirement. Get our design guide to learn more. See This

Quality Management

Laser sealed hermetic electronic packages are invariably filled with expensive components and are almost always used in situations where the result of failure is catastrophic. Accordingly, EB Industries has established and maintains the highest standards in the industry for this type of work.

  • We are an AS9100/ISO 9001:2015 certified organization delivering international quality standards;
  • We are ISO 13485:2016 certified for medical devices;
  • Our quality control and inspection system is in compliance with the MIL-I-45208A standard and metrology program in accordance with MIL-C-45662A standards.
Glove Box System 2
Operator’s view of a glovebox welding station.

Personnel

All our technicians are highly trained and experienced. Additionally, they are supported by full engineering and maintenance staff, a dedicated quality control department and an in-house machine shop.

Equipment

Our hermetic electronic packaging stations, complete glovebox laser welding environments, ensure a computer monitored and controlled process. Assemblies are maintained in a controlled environmental chamber from inert gas drying and vacuum baking to final seal with oxygen and moisture monitoring as well as weld parameter reporting. EB Industries has redundant systems and operators such that our production capability is never compromised.

  • 2 Glove Box Laser Welders
  • 550W Pulsed Nd:YAG Lasers
  • Computer Controlled Environment
  • Oxygen and Moisture Monitoring
  • Inert Gas Drying with Purification and Recycling Using Vacuum Ovens / Antechambers and Dual 1250mm (47.213”) Long x 1000mm (39.37”) Wide Chambers
  • 500°F Capable with Data Acquisition and Reporting
  • Gas Mixers and Gas Analysis Available

Additional Support Equipment

  • Circulating Furnace – (24 x 25 x 25, 1250°F)
  • Acetone Ultrasonic Cleaning Equipment w/ Solvent Recapture
  • Multiple Autodesk Inventor CAD/CAM Workstations
  • TIG & MIG welders
  • 2x – Air Science Laminar Flow Benches
  • Various Metallographic Cross-Sectional Equipment Including Saws, Polishing and Sanding
  • Air Science Exhaust Hood

Our Laser Hermetic Sealing stations are located within our 650 square-foot FOD/ESD Controlled Environment. This environment is certified to Class 100,000 clean-room standards, US Fed STD 100,000, ISO 14644-1, ISO 8.

Additional Services

Parts that require hermetic laser sealing often require additional processing before and after the parts are welded. EBI offers a wide array of services that match up with our hermetic sealing service.

Pre Processing

  • CAD/CAM Product Design and Weld Design
  • Tooling Design & Fabrication
  • Parts Cleaning & Assembly
  • Strategic Sourcing and Subcontractor Contract Management

Post Processing

  • Metallurgic Evaluations
  • Leak Testing
  • Destructive and Non-Destructive Testing
  • Post Weld Thermal Treatment
Our Customers Tell Our Story

Our Hermetic Sealing Customers: