A METHOD FOR JOINING MATERIALS TOGETHER BY A DIFFUSION PROCESS USING SILVER/GERMANIUM ALLOYS AND A SILVER/GERMANIUM ALLOY FOR USE IN THE METHOD

摘要

A method of joining two elements using a silver based alloy having a germanium content, which method comprises the steps of:providing two elements to be joined together, at least one of the elements comprising a silver based alloy having a germanium content;placing the two elements adjacent one another such that a portion of a free surface of the silver based alloy contacts a portion of a freesurface of the other element without interposing a filler material between the two free surfaces; and heating the two free surfaces wherethe two elements are adjacent one another to a temperature below that of the melting temperatures of any of the constituent materials ofthe elements thereby joining the two elements by a diffusion process. A silver/germanium alloy suitable for use in the method has a silvercontent of at least 92.5 % by weight and a germanium content of between 0.4 and 7 % by weight, which alloy contains boron as a grainrefiner at a concentration of less than 20 parts per million.