Abstract: An insulated glass unit formed from a pair of glass sheets, one of which has an electroconductive coating, i.e. a first sheet, is fabricated by positioning the first sheet on a vacuum support and the other sheet, i.e. second sheet, spaced above the first sheet a sufficient distance therefrom to prevent arcing during electrical heating of the marginal edges of the second sheet. After the marginal edges of the second sheet are heated to a temperature sufficient to cause sagging of the marginal edges, the two sheets are brought together to join the marginal edges by fusion. A strip heater heats the edges of the sheet to a temperature sufficient to prevent chilling of the marginal edges of the upper sheet when contacting the marginal edges of the lower sheet. Thereafter, the sheets are separated from one another and air moved between the sheets to bloom the edes. After blooming the edges, the joined glass sheets are annealed, and an insulating gas moved into the airspace through a pore hole.

Abstract: First chucks feed material sheets of glass to a heating device and a drawing device. Third chucks hold the first material sheet of glass after it is lowered and the first chucks then release the first material sheet of glass. The first chucks then return to pick up the second material sheet of glass and are then lowered to catch up with the first material sheet of glass. Both material sheets of glass are then heated, softened, fused and bonded. After fusing and bonding, the feed of the second material sheet of glass is continued by the first chucks, which are replaced by the third chucks on the way. Thereafter the same action is repeated for subsequent material sheets of glass, and thin sheet glass is continuously manufactured from the material sheets of glass by a redrawing process.

Abstract: A novel method for fabricating glass micropipettes comprises assembling glass tubes side-by-side in a bundle, softening an axially central region of the bundle by heating, axially elongating the softened central region to create two opposing tapers, and then dividing the bundle in two at the axial midpoint of the central region to thereby create two micropipettes. The distal tip end of each micropipette at which it was separated from the other is then relatively advanced toward a hot flame to create a spherical enlargement at the tip end. This spherical enlargement facilitates subsequent gripping of this end when the micropipette is subsequently finished to produce desired orifice sizes for the barrels at the distal tip end. It is also desirable to perform a twisting step after the softening step and before the elongating step.

Abstract: An apparatus for shaping a tube into circle includes a dummy rod to be engaged to a rear end of the tube for constituting an extention of the tube and a support for supporting the combination of the tube and the dummy rod so that the combination is movable toward the front end of the tube. The support initially supports the tube section of the combination and finally supports the dummy rod section of the combination. A heater is located in front of the support for locally softening the tube. A turning arm is coupled at its free end to the front end of the tube for pulling the tube along a circle around the axis of the other end of the turning arm so that the tube is shaped into a circle defined by the turning movement of the turning arm. A motor moves the combination ahead.

Abstract: To prevent weakened corners when forming a U-shaped discharge tube with sharp corners (28, 29) during a bending operation from a straight tube, two glass tubes (1, 3) having a wall dimension suitable for a compact fluorescent tube are fused to a central tubular glass element (2) of thicker wall dimension so that, upon bending into U-shape with sharp corners (28, 29), the thicker wall portion can stretch and form the essentially right-angle corners of requisite wall thickness. Preferably, during the heating steps for forming the glass, the initially straight glass portions (1, 2, 3) are rotated.

Abstract: A composite capillary tube structure made of a plurality of glass layers and methods for making same. This composite includes inner and outer layers of fused silica glass separated by an intermediate layer of a glass material having a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the fused silica glass. The glass material of the intermediate layer also has a glass transition temperature on the same order as that of fused silica, so that the fused silica layers are maintained under compressive forces over a temperature range of up to about 400.degree. C. Preferably, the intermediate layer is a borosilicate or aluminosilicate glass.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a low-pressure arc discharge lamp formed by interconnecting two or more adjacent glass discharge tubes. A hermetically sealed common passageway between the two adjacent tubes is formed by positioning the tubes in a contiguous relationship to define at least one common location of contact. Heating a preselected area of the internal surface of each of the tubes relative to the common location of contact to soften the glass to the extent a common passageway is defined between the tubes. Thereafter, separating the tubes a predetermined distance while the glass is in a softened state to stretch the softened glass, thereby extending the common passageway between the tubes. The technique may be applied to multiple tube assemblies precoated with a luminescent layer by alternating the end of the tube at which the passageway is formed. Once the tubes are joined, they may be processed by current manufacturing techniques to produce a low-pressure arc discharge lamp.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a low-pressure arc discharge lamp formed by interconnecting two or more parallel glass discharge tubes, each tube being sealed at one end. A hermetically sealed arc-containing channel between the two adjacent tubes is formed by heating opposing sections of the two tubes to soften a first and second site on each of the respective tubes. Then, one of the tubes is pressurized until a glass bubble forms from the softened site; the bubble is blown toward and onto the other tube about the softened site thereof. The pressure in the first tube is then released, and pressure is applied in the second tube to form a second glass bubble which fuses with the first glass bubble and bursts into the first tube thereby forming the sealed arc-containing channel between the two tubes. The technique may be applied to multiple tube assemblies by alternating the end of the tube at which the joint is formed.

Abstract: A glass-moulded type semiconductor device comprising semiconductor arrangement composed of at least one semiconductor pellet having at least one P-N junction, edges of which are exposed to peripheral surfaces of the semiconductor pellet, a pair of electrodes secured to opposite ends of the semiconductor arrangement through a brazing material, a first mould glass layer secured to the entire circumferential surface of the semiconductor arrangement and extending to the surfaces of the electrodes for passivating the P-N junction of the semiconductor arrangement, and a second mould glass in the form of at least one layer secured to the surface of said first mould glass layer.

Abstract: A known low loss fused biconical taper fiber optic coupler is fabricating by heating and pulling a plurality of fused optical fibers which may be twisted to provide a minimum biconical taper region. One method of improving this known biconical taper coupler is to simultaneously heat and push the known coupler to form a glass ball in the minimum taper region and then simultaneously heat and pull the ball to provide the improved biconical taper coupler. Another method of improving the known biconical taper coupler is to score and pull the minimum taper region of the known coupler to separate the minimum taper region into two halves and then heat and push the two halves together to provide the improved biconical taper coupler.

Abstract: A glass edge multiple glazed unit having fillets of substantially uniform thickness is produced by the application of heat to marginal edge portions of adjacent sheets, followed by a delay sufficient to establish a substantially uniform, greater than fusing temperature condition in the body of fillet-forming glass. The fused sheets are thereafter drawn apart a preselected distance to a spaced-apart face-to-face relation to form a glass-edge multiple glazed unit.

Abstract: Inner and outer blow-moulded glass bulbs, each open at one end thereof, are positioned one inside another on an apparatus having a chuck means which holds the bulbs in a spaced apart relation. The apparatus includes pivotally moveable gripping means which engage outer surface edges of the outer bulb along the open end thereof and positively hold such surface edges against an adjacent support surface while deformation heat and force are applied to the outer bulb surfaces above such edges to selectively compress or stretch such outer bulb surfaces toward the adjacent inner bulb surfaces. Thereafter, the surfaces of the inner and outer bulbs which are in contact with one another are fused together and the open ends of the respective bulbs are sealed to one another to define a container mouth.

Abstract: The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a glass sealed thyristor and a method for simultaneously constructing a plurality of thyristors and a common semiconductor wafer. The thyristor utilizes a body of semiconductor material with the cathode and base regions extending to one major surface and the anode region extending to the second major surface. A groove is etched in the first surface of the body of semiconductor material to expose the PN junction formed at the interface of the cathode emitter and cathode emitter base regions. A second groove is etched in the second major surface to expose the PN junction formed at the interface of the anode emitter region and the anode emitter base region. Ring shaped glass members are fused to the body of semiconductor material to form seals providing environmental protection for the PN junctions exposed by etching the grooves in the major surfaces of the body of semiconductor material.

Abstract: A glass encapsulated semiconductor diode and a method for glass encapsulation of a fusion to form a semiconductor diode is disclosed. The fusion comprises a body of semiconductor material having a PN junction therein and metal electrodes affixed to opposed major surfaces thereof. The fusion is encircled by a ring-shaped glass member with an inner surface of the ring-shaped glass member fused to an edge surface of the body of semiconductor material to form a protective layer overlying the PN junction. The ring-shaped glass member is formed and fused to the edge of the body of semiconductor material by placing the fushion and a prefabricated glass ring, preferably cut from stress relieved glass tubing, encircling the fusion in a furnace. A weight is applied to the upper surface of the prefabricated glass ring.

Abstract: A channel-type electron multiplier made in the shape of a glass wafer having holes through a central portion thereof, and an imperforate glass border fused to the periphery of the wafer, the wafer glass having a thermal coefficient of expansion less than that of the border glass. In manufacture, a brief fast cooling step aids in the production of a strong, permanent bond between wafer and border.

Abstract: A permanent butt joint between optical fibers is made by inserting the bare fiber ends into the opposite ends of a slightly oversized bore in a sleeve of glass of lower melting point than the fibers. The central region of the sleeve is collapsed by softening. By this collapse, the butted fibers are brought into alignment. The joint may be protected with a length of heat shrink tubing fitted over the sleeve.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the rapid, high-capacity pressurization of hot-isostatic pressing vessels, specifically of the type adapted for the hot-isostatic pressing of alloy shapes from powder metallurgy alloy charges. This is achieved by pressurizing with argon gas which is obtained by pumping cryogenic liquid argon at relatively low pressure to a relatively higher pressure and vaporizing said pumped liquid argon to produce said gas, which gas after use in the vessel for compacting is reclaimed and reliquefied for reuse.

Abstract: The disclosure is of a method of preparing an envelope assembly including a glass tubulation in which the tubulation includes a portion of reduced diameter at which a tip-off is formed during the manufacturing process. The method comprises heating the tubulation to an elevated temperature at which surface defects heal, and subsequently securing the tubulation to the envelope in normal fashion while insuring that no further surface defects occur.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an inlet leak for measuring chemically reactive gases. The method involves the steps of preparing a selected internal surface of a high melting point metal tubing for sealing to a glass tubing; inserting a portion of the glass tubing into the prepared portion of the metal tubing, the glass tubing having an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the metal tubing; sealing the inserted glass tubing to the internal surface of the metal tubing; drawing the glass tubing under a magnifying device to reduce the entire interior diameter thereof to substantially two microns; and breaking away an end portion of the drawn glass tubing.

Abstract: A crucible of pure transparent silica glass or pure translucent or opaque silica glass for the production of monocrystals used in making semiconductor elements which includes a hollow cylindrical part and a welded-on head. The head end of the hollow cylindrical part is formed from a tube with a head margin portion constricted towards the tube axis which is formed by shaping one end of the tube. A plate is welded into the aperture formed by the constricted head margin portion and has an area equal to at least one-tenth and at most four-fifths of the total head area made up by the head margin portion and the head.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a preform from which glass fibers are to be drawn including making a groove in a first cladding glass element, filling the groove with core glass, grinding or otherwise finishing the surface of the cladding element and the core glass to a flat surface and optically contacting a second cladding glass element to the finished surface of said first cladding glass element thereby covering the core glass material.

Abstract: An incandescent lamp has an envelope made of partially crystallized glass in order to diffuse the light emanating from the filament.

Abstract: Two central bore assemblies are constructed, each including a ceramic tube having a plurality of drilled disc assemblies frictionally attached thereon. A cathode element is inserted in the central portion of an outer envelope, as are the two grid-bore assemblies. The inner portion of the envelope is maintained in a partial vacuum, and heat is applied to the exterior, thereby shrinking the envelope over the grid-bore assemblies. A taut tungsten wire is inserted through the bore, and the envelope in the region of each of the disc assemblies is heated successively, from one side to the other. This achieves precise alignment of the central bore throughout the laser. Anode elements are inserted at either end, and mirrors are attached. After preliminary adjustment, the mirrors are fine-tuned by means of application of a narrow band of heat on the mirror neck, as slight transverse forces are applied to the sides of the mirrors.