Method for Bonding Substrates

1 . A method for bonding a first substrate to a second substrate, the method comprising:

dispensing a paste directly onto the first substrate, the paste including a glass powder, a thermoplastic, and a first solvent;

evaporating the first solvent to form a thickened paste;

placing the second substrate on the thickened paste to form a stack;

applying to the stack a force sufficient to cause deformation of the thickened paste; and

heating the stack to a bonding temperature above a glass transition temperature of the glass powder so as to cause removal of the thermoplastic from the thickened paste and to form a glass joint between the first and second substrates.

2 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the applying and heating processes are performed simultaneously.

3 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the applying and heating processes are performed sequentially.

4 . A method according to claim 3 , wherein the applying process is performed before the heating process.

5 . A method according to claim 3 , wherein the applying process is performed after the heating process has begun and before the removal of the thermoplastic has completed.

6 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the paste further includes a second solvent that evaporates more slowly than the first solvent during the evaporating process, and evaporating the first solvent includes evaporating substantially all of the first solvent while retaining a substantial portion of the second solvent in the thickened paste.

7 . A method according to claim 1 , for bonding more than two substrates together, further comprising:

dispensing the paste directly onto a plurality of substrates; and

placing all of the substrates into the stack.

8 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein evaporating the first solvent comprises heating the first substrate to a temperature between about 40 and about 200 degrees Celsius.

9 . A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

before applying the force, heating the stack above a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic.

10 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein applying the force includes maintaining the force on the stack during the process of heating the stack above the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic.

11 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein heating the stack includes first heating the stack to a burnout temperature to cause removal of the thermoplastic and then heating the stack to the bonding temperature.

12 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein dispensing the paste includes forming the paste into a shape on the first substrate, the shape comprising a strip having a longitudinal axis along a surface of the first substrate, a thickness in a direction normal to the surface, and a width along the surface and normal to the longitudinal axis, wherein the ratio of the width to the thickness is less than about 40.

13 . A method according to claim 12 , wherein applying the force includes applying sufficient force that the maximum thickness of the shape is reduced by at least 10% after the force has been applied to the stack.

14 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein dispensing the paste includes forming the paste into a shape on the first substrate, the shape covering an area on a surface of the first substrate, and wherein the force in Newtons per unit of the area in square millimeters is greater than 0.1 Newtons per square millimeter.

15 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein dispensing includes applying the paste by screen-printing.

16 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein dispensing includes applying the paste via a nozzle.