Glass member provided with sealing material layer, electronic device using it and process for producing the electronic device

• US 8,697,242 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGC, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawanami, Sohei, Hiroi, Atsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): SAMPLE, DAVID R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colgan, Lauren
• Application Number:
  US13/341,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20120147538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 428/426, 428/428, 428/432, 428/701, 428/702, 428/688, 428/689, 428/697, 428/699, 427/554, 427/402
• US Class Current: 428/426
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 23/0025 by a laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 27/06 Joining glass to glass by processes other than fusing fusing C03B23/20; units for use as elements for closing wall or like openings and comprising two or more parallel glass panes in spaced relationship, the panes being permanently secured together E06B3/66
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 8/04 containing zinc
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 8/08 containing phosphorus
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 8/24 Fusion seal compositions being frit compositions having non-frit additions, i.e. for use as seals between dissimilar materials, e.g. glass and metal; Glass solders
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2211/34 Vessels, containers or parts thereof, e.g. substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2211/48 Sealing, e.g. seals specially adapted for leading-in conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/261 the vessel being for a flat panel display for flat discharge lamps H01J9/268
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

The invention provides a glass member provided with a sealing material layer, which suppresses generation of failures such as cracks or breakage of glass substrates or a sealing layer even when the distance between two glass substrates is narrowed, and thereby makes it possible to improve the sealing property between the glass substrates and its reliability. A glass substrate has a surface provided with a sealing region, on which a sealing material layer having a thickness of at most 15 μm is formed. The sealing material layer includes a fired material of a glass material for sealing containing a sealing glass, a laser absorbent and optionally a low-expansion filler, wherein the total content of the laser absorbent and the low-expansion filler being the optional component in the glass material for sealing is within the range of from 2 to 44 vol %.

Claims

1. A glass member provided with a sealing material layer, which comprises a glass substrate having a surface having a sealing region;

and a sealing material layer having a thickness of at most 15 μ

m and formed on the sealing region of the glass substrate;

wherein the sealing material layer comprises a fired material of a glass material for sealing containing a sealing glass, a laser absorbent and optionally a low-expansion filler, the total content of the laser absorbent and the low-expansion filler being an optional component being within the range of from 2 to 44 vol %; and

wherein the difference between the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the material of the sealing material layer and the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂ of the glass substrate is within the range of from 15 to 65(×

10<sup>−

7</sup>/°

C.).

2. The glass member provided with a sealing material layer according to claim 1, wherein the glass material for sealing contains the laser absorbent in an amount within the range of from 2 to 10 vol % and the low-expansion filler in an amount within the range of from 0 to 40 vol % based on the total amount of the sealing glass, the laser absorbent and the low-expansion filler.

3. The glass member provided with a sealing material layer according to claim 2, wherein the glass material for sealing contains the low-expansion filler in an amount within the range of from 10 to 40 vol %.

4. The glass member provided with a sealing material layer according to claim 1, wherein the total surface area of the laser absorbent and the low-expansion filler in the glass material for sealing is within the range of from 0.5 to 6 m²/cm³.

5. The glass member provided with a sealing material layer according to claim 1, wherein the low-expansion filler comprises at least one member selected from silica, alumina, zirconia, zirconium silicate, cordierite, a zirconium phosphate compound, soda lime glass and borosilicate glass.

6. The glass member provided with a sealing material layer according to claim 1, wherein the laser absorbent comprises at least one metal selected from Fe, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni and Cu or a compound containing the metal.

7. The glass member provided with a sealing material layer according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate comprises alkali-free glass or soda lime glass, and the sealing glass comprises bismuth glass or tin-phosphate glass.

8. An electronic device which comprises a first glass substrate having a surface having a first sealing region;

a second glass substrate having a surface having a second sealing region corresponding to the first sealing region and disposed so that the surface is opposed to the surface of the first glass substrate;

an electronic element portion provided between the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate; and

a sealing layer formed between the first sealing region of the first glass substrate and the second sealing region of the second glass substrate to seal the electronic element portion and having a thickness of at most 15 μ

m;

wherein the sealing layer comprises a melt-bonded layer comprising a fired material of a glass material for sealing containing a sealing glass, a laser absorbent and optionally a low-expansion filler, the total content of the laser absorbent and the low-expansion filler being an optional component being within the range of from 2 to 44 vol %; and

wherein the difference between the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the material of the sealing layer and the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂ of at least one of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate is within the range of from 15 to 65(×

10<sup>−

7</sup>/°

C.).

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the difference of each of the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂₁ of the first glass substrate and the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂₂ of the second glass substrate from the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the material of the sealing layer is within the range of from 15 to 65(×

10<sup>−

7</sup>/°

C.).

10. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the difference of either one of the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂₁ of the first glass substrate and the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂₂ of the second glass substrate from the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the material of the sealing layer is within the range of from 15 to 65(×

10<sup>−

7</sup>/°

C.), and the difference of the other one of the thermal expansion coefficients from the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the material of the sealing layer is less than 15×

10<sup>−

7</sup>/°

C.

11. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the total surface area of the laser absorbent and the low-expansion filler in the glass material for sealing is within the range of from 0.5 to 6 m²/cm³.

12. A process for producing an electronic device, which comprises a step of preparing a first glass substrate having a surface having a first sealing region;

a step of preparing a second glass substrate having a surface having a second sealing region corresponding to the first sealing region and provided with a sealing material layer having a thickness of at most 15 μ

m formed on the second sealing region;

a step of laminating the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate with the sealing material layer interposed so that the surface of the first glass substrate and the surface of the second glass substrate are opposed to each other; and

a step of irradiating the sealing material layer with a laser light through the first glass substrate or the second glass substrate to melt the sealing material layer thereby to form a sealing layer to seal the electronic element portion provided between the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate;

wherein the sealing material layer comprises a fired material of a glass material for sealing containing a sealing glass, a laser absorbent and optionally a low-expansion filler, the total content of the laser absorbent and the low-expansion filler being an optional component being within the range of from 2 to 44 vol %; and

wherein the difference of the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the sealing material layer from the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂ of at least one of the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate is within the range of from 15 to 65(×

10<sup>−

7</sup>/°

C.).

13. The process for producing an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the difference of each of the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂₁ of the first glass substrate and the thermal expansion coefficient α

₂₂ of the second glass substrate from the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the material of the sealing layer is within the range of from 15 to 65(×

10<sup>−

7</sup>/°

C.).

14. The process for producing an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the difference of either one of a thermal expansion coefficient α

₂₁ of the first glass substrate and a thermal expansion coefficient α

₂₂ of the second glass substrate from the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the material of the sealing layer is within the range of from 15 to 65(×

10⁻

/°

C.), and the difference of the other one of the thermal expansion coefficients from the thermal expansion coefficient α

₁ of the material of the sealing layer is less than 15×

10<sup>−

7</sup>/°

C.

15. The process for producing an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the total surface area of the laser absorbent and the low-expansion filler in the glass material for sealing is within the range of from 0.5 to 6 m²/cm³.