Bonded silicon, components and a method of fabricating the same

1. A method of fabricating a heat pipe housing made of silicon, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a material that forms a eutectic with silicon at a temperature below the melting point of silicon;

sandwiching a layer of the material between two silicon surfaces of two pieces of a heat pipe housing; and

heating the sandwiched layer of the material and the two silicon surfaces to a temperature between a eutectic temperature of the material and silicon, and the melting point of silicon, and maintaining the sandwiched layer of material and the two silicon surfaces between the eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon until the material and the silicon diffuse into each other to produce a bond joint between the two pieces.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the heating step comprises heating the sandwiched layer of the material and the two silicon surfaces in dry nitrogen at 1 atmosphere to a temperature between the eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon, and maintaining the sandwiched layer of material and the two silicon surfaces between the eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon in dry nitrogen at 1 atmosphere until the material and the silicon diffuse into each other to produce an alloy including a eutectic of the material and the silicon upon solidification.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the material comprises aluminum.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the material comprises gold.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sandwiching step comprises sandwiching a foil of the material between the two silicon surfaces.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of applying a flux between the layer and each of the two silicon surfaces prior to the sandwiching step.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of applying a flux comprises applying potassium fluoro aluminate flux between the layer and each of the two silicon surfaces prior to the sandwiching step.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the heating and maintaining step is performed at temperatures that are less than the liquidus point of the material.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the heating step produces the bond joint to include a eutectic of the material and the silicon.

10. A method of fabricating a heat pipe housing made of silicon, the method comprising the steps of:

sandwiching a layer of aluminum or aluminum-silicon alloy between two silicon surfaces of two pieces of a heat pipe housing;

heating the sandwiched layer of aluminum and the two silicon surfaces to a temperature between an aluminum-silicon eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon, and maintaining the sandwiched layer of material and the two silicon surfaces between the aluminum-silicon eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon until the aluminum and the silicon diffuse into each other to produce a bond joint between the two pieces.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the heating step comprises heating the sandwiched layer of aluminum and the two silicon surfaces in dry nitrogen at 1 atmosphere to a temperature between the aluminum-silicon eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon, and maintaining the sandwiched layer of material and the two silicon surfaces between the aluminum-silicon eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon in dry nitrogen at 1 atmosphere until the aluminum and the silicon diffuse into each other to produce an alloy including an aluminum-silicon eutectic upon solidification.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the sandwiching step comprises sandwiching a foil of aluminum between the two silicon surfaces.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising applying a flux between the layer and each of the two silicon surfaces prior to the sandwiching step.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of applying a flux comprises applying potassium fluoro aluminate flux between the layer and each of the two silicon surfaces prior to the sandwiching step.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the heating and maintaining step is performed at temperatures less than the liquidus point of aluminum.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the heating step produces the bond joint to include an aluminum-silicon eutectic.

17. A method of fabricating a heat pipe housing made of silicon, the method comprising the steps of:

sandwiching a layer of gold between two silicon surfaces of two pieces of a heat pipe housing;

heating the sandwiched layer of gold and the two silicon surfaces to a temperature between a gold-silicon eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon, and maintaining the sandwiched layer of material and the two silicon surfaces between the gold-silicon eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon until the gold and the silicon diffuse into each other to produce a bond joint between the two pieces.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the sandwiching step comprises sandwiching a foil of gold between the two silicon surfaces.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising applying a flux between the layer and each of the two silicon surfaces prior to the sandwiching step.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the heating and maintaining step is performed at temperatures below the liquidus point of gold.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the heating and maintaining step is performed at temperatures below the liquidus point of gold.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein said heating step produces the bond joint to include a gold-silicon eutectic.

23. A method of bonding a pair of silicon components, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a material that forms a eutectic with silicon at a temperature below the melting point of silicon;

sandwiching a layer of the material between two silicon surfaces of two silicon components, with a potassium fluoro aluminate flux between the layer and each of the two silicon surfaces; and

heating the sandwiched layer of the material and the two silicon surfaces to a suitable elevated temperature for a sufficient amount of time to allow the material and the silicon to diffuse into each other to produce a bond joint between the two silicon components.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the heating step comprises heating the sandwiched layer of the material and the two silicon surfaces in dry nitrogen at 1 atmosphere to a temperature between the eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon, and maintaining the sandwiched layer of material and the two silicon surfaces between the eutectic temperature and the melting point of silicon in dry nitrogen at 1 atmosphere until the material and the silicon diffuse into each other to produce an alloy including a eutectic of the material and the silicon upon solidification.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the material comprises aluminum.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the material comprises gold.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the sandwiching step comprises sandwiching a foil of the material between the two silicon surfaces.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the heating and maintaining step is performed at temperatures that are less than the liquidus point of the material.

29. The method of claim 17 wherein the heating step produces a bond joint that includes a eutectic of the material and the silicon.