Nickel-carbon and nickel-cobalt-carbon brazes and brazing processes for joining ceramics and metals and semiconductor processing and industrial equipment using same

A joining method, said joining method comprising the steps of:

• placing a brazing element between an interface area of a first ceramic piece and an interface area of a second ceramic piece to create a joining pre-assembly, wherein said brazing element consists of Carbon in the range of 1-80 atomic percent and the remainder of said brazing element is Cobalt;
• placing the components of said joining pre-assembly into a process chamber;
• removing oxygen from said process chamber;
• and
• heating at least said brazing element of said joining pre-assembly, thereby hermetically joining said first ceramic piece to said second ceramic piece.