Glass fabrication process

Claim 2

A PROCESS OF SYNTHESIZING A NEW GLASS FROM A LOW AND HIGHER GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE GLASS DURING THE FORMING OF A GLASS PART THEREFROM SUCH THAT SUCH NEW GLASS EXHIBITS A GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN THE GALSS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE OF SAID LOW GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE GLASS, COMPRISING: COMBINING WITH SAID LOW GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE GLASS A PRE-SELECTED AMOUNT OF SAID HIGHER GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE GLASS SO AS TO FORM A PHYSICAL COMBINATION THEREOF ON A SUPPORT MEDIUM FOR FORMING SAID GLASS PART; HEATING SAID PHYSICAL COMBINATION GRADUALLY TO APPROXIMATELY THE GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE OF SAID LOW GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE GLASS AND THEREAFTER RAPIDLY HEATING SAID COMBINATION TO A TEMPERATURE WHERE SAID LOW GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE GLASS FLOWS WITH SAID LATTER TEMPERATURE BEING BELOW THAT REQUIRED TO FLOW OUT A PREEQUILIBRATED FRIT OF A GLASS OF THE SAME COMPOSITION AS SAID PHYSICAL COMBINATION WHICH HAS FIRST BEEN SYNTHESIZED; AND MAINTAINING SAID FLOW TEMPERATURE UNTIL THE HIGHER GLASS TRANSITION TEMPRATURE GLASS DISSOLVES IN SAID LOW GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE GLASS TO THEREBY FORM SAID PART WHEREBY SAID PART IS FORMED AT A TEMPERATURE LESS THAN THAT WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN REQUIRED HAS A SINGLE GLASS OF IDENTICAL COMPOSITION AS THE GLASS SYNTHESIZED IN SITU BEEN APPLIED TO SAID SUPPORT MEDIUM AND FLOWED OUT.

Claim 3

The process as set forth in claim 1 wherein said physical combination comprises an admixed frit of said low glass transition temperature glass and higher glass transition temperature glass with said admixed frit being applied to said support medium to form in situ said glass part.

Claim 4

The process as set forth in claim 2 wherein said admixed frit is heated at between 1*C and 5*C per minute up to approximately the glass transition temperature of said low glass transition temperature glass and is thereafter heated at a rate approximately equal to or greater than 5*C per minute up to the said flow temperature level thereof.

Claim 5

The process as set forth in claim 3 wherein said support medium comprises flat surfaces including glass surfaces the glass of which exhibits a deformation temperature greater than the said flow temperature.

Claim 6

The process as set forth in claim 4 wherein said support medium comprises plate glass and said low glass transition temperature glass is a lead-borosilicate dielectric glass.

Claim 7

The process as set forth in claim 5 wherein said higher glass transition temperature glass is a soda lime glass.

Claim 8

The process as set forth in claim 2 wherein said low glass transition temperature glass consists essentially of 14.1% SiO2, 72.8% PbO, 12.5% B2O3, 0.2% Al2O3, 0.1% CaO, 0.2% Na2O, and 0.1% MgO and wherein said higher glass transition temperature glass consists essentially of 71.11% SiO2, 2.38% Al2O3, 7.13% CaO, 14.45% Na2O, 3.76% MgO, 0.30% K2O, 0.13% B2O3, and 0.74% PbO.

Claim 9

An in situ process of flowing out and synthesizing a glass part at a temperature less than that required for flow out where the glass of said part is first synthesized and then a frit thereof flowed out to form said part, the process comprising the steps of: applying an admixed frit of glasses having different glass transition temperatures to a support medium therefor; heating said frit to a temperature where the glass of said frit which has the lowest glass transition temperature flows which temperature is below that required to flow a preequilibrated frit of a glass of the same composition as said admixed frit which has first been synthesized; and maintaining said flow temperature until the remainder of glass in said frit having a higher glass transition temperature than said glass of said frit which has the lowest glass transition temperature dissolves therein.

Claim 10

An in situ process of flowing out and synthesizing a glass part at a temperature less than that required for flow out where the glass of said part is first synthesized and then a frit thereof flowed out to form said part, the process comprising the steps of: applying an admixed frit of glasses having different glass transition temperatures to a support medium therefor; heating said frit to a temperature where the glass of said frit which has the lowest glass transition temperature flows which temperature is below that required to flow a preequilibrated frit of a glass of the same composition as said admixed frit which has first been synthesized; and maintaining said flow temperature until the remainder of glass in said frit having a higher glass transition temperature than said glass of said frit which has the lowest glass transition temperature dissolves therein.

Claim 11

The process as set forth in claim 8 wherein the said step of heating Said frit includes gradually heating up said frit to the glass transition temperature of said lowest glass transition temperature glass and thereafter rapidly heating up said frit to said flow temperature whereby said low glass transition temperature glass readily flows out.

Claim 12

The process as set forth in claim 9 wherein said support medium comprises a flat surface whereby said low glass transition temperature glass readily flows out thereon to form in situ a glass part comprising a smooth layer of glass.

Claim 13

The process set forth in claim 10 wherein said support medium comprises a flat surface of glass and wherein said flow temperature is sufficiently low so as to avoid deformation thereof.

Claim 14

The process as set forth in claim 11 wherein said smooth layer of glass is coated with a layer of metal and wherein said smooth layer of glass also exhibits a sufficiently high reflow temperature such that the subsequent thermal cycling thereof fails to cause reflow therein.

Claim 15

The process as set forth in claim 12 wherein said support medium is plate glass and wherein the said glass of said frit which has the lowest glass transition temperature is a lead-borosilicate dielectric glass.

Claim 16

The process as set forth in claim 13 wherein during said step of heating, said frit is gradually heated up to the glass transition temperature of the said low glass transition temperature glass at a rate of approximately 2*C per minute or less and is thereafter rapidly heated up to said flow temperature at a rate of at least 2*C per minute.

Claim 17

An in situ process for forming glass parts from a relatively low glass transition temperature glass which tends to reflow due to the heat employed during a subsequent processing step, comprising: admixing with said low glass transition temperature glass a selected amount of higher glass transition temperature glass compatible with said low glass transition temperature glass so as to form an admixed frit thereof: applying said frit to glass substrates therefor; heating up said frit to approximately the glass transition temperature of said low glass transition temperature glass at a rate less than 5* C per minute and thereafter heating up said frit from approximately the said glass transition temperature of said low glass transition temperature glass to a point where said low glass transition temperature glass readily flows out and solubilizes said higher glass transition temperature glass which point is below that required to flow out a preequilibrated frit of a glass which has first been synthesized and is of identical composition as said admixed frit, the said heating up of said frit from said glass transition temperature being at a rate greater than the rate used to heat up said frit to said glass transition temperature; and maintaining said flow out temperature until said low glass transition temperature glass solubilizes said higher glass transition temperature glass to thereby form said glass parts of an in situ synthesized glass composition of sufficiently high glass transition temperature so as to avoid said reflow, said in situ synthesized glass parts being formed at a temperature less than that required where a glass of identical composition is first synthesized and the frit thereof flowed out to form said parts.

Claim 18

An in situ process for forming glass parts from a relatively low glass transition temperature glass which tends to reflow due to the heat employed during a subsequent processing step, comprising: admixing with said low glass transition temperature glass a selected amount of higher glass transition temperature glass compatible with said low glass transition temperature glass so as to form an admixed frit thereof: applying said frit to glass substrates therefor; heating up said frit to approximately the glass transition temperature of said low glass transition temperature glass at a rate less than 5* C per minute and thereafter heating up said frit from approximately the said glass transition temperature of said low glass transition temperature glass to a point where said low glass transition temperature glass readily flows out and solubilizes said higher glass transition temperature glass which point is below that required to flow out a preequilibrated frit of a glass which has first been synthesized and is of identical composition as said admixed frit, the said heating up of said frit from said glass transition temperature being at a rate greater than the rate used to heat up said frit to said glass transition temperature; and maintaining said flow out temperature until said low glass transition temperature glass solubilizes said higher glass transition temperature glass to thereby form said glass parts of an in situ synthesized glass composition of sufficiently high glass transition temperature so as to avoid said reflow, said in situ synthesized glass parts being formed at a temperature less than that required where a glass of identical composition is first synthesized and the frit thereof flowed out to form said parts.

Claim 19

The process as set forth in claim 15 wherein said glass substrates are plate glass.

Claim 20

The process as set forth in claim 15 wherein after said parts are formed, further parts are formed therewith in situ by the steps of admixing with said low glass transition temperature glass another selected amount of said higher glass transition temperature glass so as to form a new frit thereof, and thereafter heating the said new frit in situ to a point where the said low glass transition temperature glass thereof flows out and solubilizes the said higher transition temperature glass thereof.

Claim 21

The process as set forth in claim 17 wherein the said another selected amount of higher glass transition temperature glass is less than the first said selected amount of higher glass transition temperature glass.

Claim 22

The process as set forth in claim 16 wherein said low glass transition temperature glass is a lead-borosilicate glass.

Claim 23

The process as set forth in claim 18 wherein said higher glass transition temperature glass is a soda lime glass.

Claim 24

An in situ process of raising the glass transition temperature of a relatively low glass transition temperature glass used to form a glass member on a substrate glass prior to a thermal cycling operation requiring heat sufficiently high so as to reflow said low glass transition temperature glass, the said raising of the glass transition temperature being effected during flow out of said glass member via the situ synthesis of a new glass at a flow out temperature less than that required where a glass of identical composition is first synthesized and then flowed out to form said member, said process comprising the steps of: admixing with said relatively low glass transition temperature glass a predetermined amount of another glass exhibiting a higher glass transition temperature than the transition temperature of said relatively low glass transition temperature glass so as to form a frit thereof; applying said frit to said substrate glass; heating said frit to the said flow out temperature which temperature is sufficient to only allow said low glass transition temperature glass to flow out which temperature is below that required to flow out a preequilibrated frit of a glass which has first been synthesized and is of identical composition as said frit; and maintaining said flow temperature level until the higher glass transition temperature glass dissolves in said low glass transition temperature glass so as to form said member with a glass transition temperature sufficiently high such as to avoid reflow during said thermal cycling operation.

Claim 25

An in situ process of raising the glass transition temperature of a relatively low glass transition temperature glass used to form a glass member on a substrate glass prior to a thermal cycling operation requiring heat sufficiently high so as to reflow said low glass transition temperature glass, the said raising of the glass transition temperature being effected during flow out of said glass member via the situ synthesis of a new glass at a flow out temperature less than that required where a glass of identical composition is first synthesized and then flowed out to form said member, said process comprising the steps of: admixing with said relatively low glass transition temperature glass a predetermined amount of another glass exhibiting a higher glass transition temperature than the transition temperature of said relatively low glass transition temperature glass so as to form a frit thereof; applying said frit to said substrate glass; heating said frit to the said flow out temperature which temperature is sufficient to only allow said low glass transition temperature glass to flow out which temperature is below that required to flow out a preequilibrated frit of a glass which has first been synthesized and is of identical composition as said frit; and maintaining said flow temperature level until the higher glass transition temperature glass dissolves in said low glass transition temperature glass so as to form said member with a glass transition temperature sufficiently high such as to avoid reflow during said thermal cycling operation.

Claim 26

The process as set forth in claim 21 wherein the said step of heating said frit comprises heating said frit gradually up to approximately the glass transition temperature of said low glass transition temperature glass and thereafter heating said frit more rapidly from approximately said glass transition temperature to the said flow temperature.