Abstract: Aspects of the invention relate to cover assemblies and methods for manufacturing such cover assemblies. According to one aspect of the invention, a cover assembly is provided for hermetically sealing electronic circuitry. The cover assembly includes a cover having a frame connection surface. The frame connection surface has a periphery section extending along an outer portion of the frame connection surface. The cover assembly also includes a frame having an annulus shape and a cover connection surface and a package connection surface spaced from the cover connection surface. Additionally, the cover assembly includes a laser weld that couples the cover connection surface of the frame to the frame connection surface of the cover in the periphery section to form the cover assembly. The package connection surface of the frame is exposed for attachment to the substrate after the cover assembly is formed.

Abstract: A glass-to-metal seal including a metal member such as Pd or a Pd-Ru alloy and a glass member wherein the glass member is in contact with the metal member and forms a glass-to-metal seal therewith. The seal can include an outer body surrounding the glass member and forming a seal therewith. The outer body has a coefficient of thermal expansion greater than that of the glass member and the seals between the outer body, the glass member and metal member are compression seals. The glass-to-metal seal is made by directly glassing onto the metal member in a furnace having an atmosphere which prevents outgassing of hydrogen from the metal member into the interface between the glass member and metal member. After the glass-to-metal seal forming step, the outer body can be metallurgically bonded to another component without chemically cleaning the outer body and the metal member can be metallurgically bonded to another member such as a gold wire without plating the metal member prior to the bonding step.