Solderingย Fiber Opticย Cable for Hermetic Sealing With IGBT Induction Soldering Heater
Objective To heat a Kovar ferrule and fiber optic cable to 297ยฐF within 10ย seconds for a soldering application, to form a hermetic seal
Material Gold-coated cable, Kovar ferrule, solder and flux
Temperature 297 ยบF
Frequency 360 kHz
Equipment DW-UHF-4.5kW power supply with a specially designedย induction coil
Process A specially designed, 4-turn โCโ shape coil was used to provideย uniform heat to the assembly near the joint area. With thisย design, the coil can be lowered directly onto the joint; it is notย necessary to feed the ferrule assembly through the coil. Fluxย was applied to the assembly where the ferrule and fiber opticย cable were to be joined. RF power was applied for 10 seconds,ย which caused the solder to melt and flow.
Results/Benefits Consistent and repeatable results were achieved with theย DW-UHF-4.5kW power supply and a 10-second heat cycle.ย The solder flowed evenly and bonded the fiber optic cable to
the Kovar ferrule. With the induction coilโs compact design, aย very small surface area was heated with pinpoint accuracy.
