Method of forming a precisely spaced stack of substrate layers
AssigneeGrunman Aerospace Corporation
InventorsAllen L. Solomon, Wei H. Koh, Alan E. Ingall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A precisely spaced stack of substrate layers comprises a plurality of substrate layers disposed one above another in a stacked configuration and having a glass layer coating on one of each pair of adjacent substrates, the glass layer having a thickness such that the sum of the thicknesses of the glass layer and the substrate to which the glass layer is fused is approximately equal for substantially all of the substrate layers. A polymer adhesive is disposed intermediate the glass layer and a substrate layer such that adjacent substrate layers are bonded together. By controlling the height of each pair of substrate and glass layers, a precisely spaced and strongly bonded stack of substrate layers is formed.
Claims9
The method of forming a precisely spaced stack of substrate layers such that detector elements disposed upon the edge portions of the layers will be precisely aligned to form a detector array, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a first glass coating upon the top surface of a first substrate layer;
- (b) removing a portion of said first glass coating such that the sum of the thicknesses of said first substrate layer and said first glass coating is a desired thickness;
- (c) disposing an adhesive layer upon said first glass coating;
- (d) forming a second glass coating upon the top surface of a second substrate;
- (e) removing a portion of said second glass coating such that the sum of the thickness of said second substrate layer and said second glass coating is a desired thickness;
- (f) disposing the bottom surface of said second glass coated substrate layer upon said adhesive layer;
- (g) curing said adhesive layer to bond said first and second substrate layers together, using a curing temperature below said glass coating fusion temperature such that said glass layer does not soften;
- (h) whereby the presence of said adhesive layer permits bonding of the stacked substrate layers without the need to heat the substrate layers to glass fusion temperatures, thereby avoiding intersubstrate layer spacing inconsistencies resulting from glass flow and also avoiding gaps and voids in the glass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.