Joining of Al2O3 ceramic to Cu using refractory metal foil

Joining of Al2O3 ceramic to Cu has been conducted with Ag-26.7Cu-4.5Ti braze and refractory metal (W or Ta) foil. The interfacial microstructure in the joint with W foil is similar to that with Ta foil. The joining region in the joint consists of a reaction zone, braze zone I, refractory metal layer and braze zone II. The reaction zone of Cu3Ti3O with a thickness of about 5 μm develops close to Al2O3 side due to the reactions of Ti and Cu in the braze with Al2O3 substrate. The braze zones I and II are mainly composed of Ag- and Cu-based solid solutions. For the joint with W foil, the adsorption of Ti at the braze/W interfaces followed by the Ti diffusion into W foil occurs, whilst slight dissolution and diffusion of Ta into the brazes take place in the joint with Ta foil. The average shear strengths of joints with W and Ta foils are much higher than those without refractory metal foil, indicating the contribution of the refractory metal foil to the improvement of joint mechanical strength. Introduction of refractory metal foil in Al2O3/Cu joining is beneficial for the shift of joint residual stress distribution and the decrease of stress concentration in the joint since the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of refractory metal layer approximately approaches that of Al2O3. Furthermore, a slight thickness increase of the Cu3Ti3O reaction zone in the joint with refractory metal foil may also give rise to the joint strength promotion.