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The invention provides a hermetic seal and a method of making a hermetic seal having the steps of providing a first member of a first material having a flange thereon, providing a second member of a second material having a slot thereon for accommodating the flange in said slot such that there is a

The invention provides a hermetic seal and a method of making a hermetic seal having the steps of providing a first member of a first material having a flange thereon, providing a second member of a second material having a slot thereon for accommodating the flange in said slot such that there is a gap between the slot and the flange, providing a sealant in the slot, and heating the sealant such that the sealant fills at least a portion of the gap between the flange and the slot for forming a hermetic seal therebetween. Advantageously, the slot and flange design of the inventive hermetic seal produces a three-dimensional compressive state of stress thereby providing a joint design of improved reliability.

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1. A method of making a hermetic seal comprising the steps of:(a) providing a first member of a first material having a flange thereon; (b) providing a second member of a second material having a slot thereon for accommodating the flange in said slot such that there is a gap between the slot and the

1. A method of making a hermetic seal comprising the steps of:(a) providing a first member of a first material having a flange thereon; (b) providing a second member of a second material having a slot thereon for accommodating the flange in said slot such that there is a gap between the slot and the flange; (c) providing a sealant in the slot; (d) placing the sealant and the first and the second member in an oxygen-reduced environment, and subsequently heating the sealant such that the sealant fills at least a portion of the gap between the flange and the slot for forming the hermetic seal therebetween while controlling a relative movement between the flange and the slot for promoting a wetting of the sealant to the flange and the slot, wherein the hermetic seal comprises compressive stresses. 2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the oxygen-reduced environment is one of a vacuum and an inert atmosphere.3. A method of making a hermetic seal comprising the steps of:(a) providing a first member of a first material having a flange thereon; (b) providing a second member of a second material having a slot thereon for accommodating the flange in said slot such that there is a gap between the slot and the flange; (c) providing a sealant in the slot, wherein the sealant is a solder material; (d) heating the sealant such that the sealant fills at least a portion of the gap between the flange and the slot for forming the hermetic seal therebetween while controlling a relative movement between the flange and the slot for promoting a wetting of the sealant to the flange and the slot, wherein the hermetic seal comprises compressive stresses. 4. The method as defined in claim 3 wherein the solder material is one of a metal wire, an alloy, and a glass solder.5. A method of making a hermetic seal comprising the steps of:providing a first package member comprising a flange; providing a second package member comprising a slot for accommodating the flange such that there is a gap between said flange and said slot; providing a sealant in at least one of the flange and the slot; heating the sealant for filling at least a portion of the gap between the flange and the slot to provide the hermetic seal between the flange and the slot; controlling a sealing rate by controlling a temperature change during the step of heating the sealant; and waiting for the temperature of the sealant to change for allowing the sealant to solidify. 6. A method of making a hermetic seal comprising the steps of:(a) providing a first member of a first material having a flange thereon; (b) providing a second member of a second material having a slot thereon for accommodating the flange in said slot such that there is a gap between the slot and the flange; (c) providing a sealant in the slot; and (d) heating the sealant such that the sealant fills at least a portion of the gap between the flange and the slot for forming the hermetic seal therebetween, wherein the hermetic seal comprises compressive stresses; and (e) placing the sealant and the first and the second member in an oxygen-reduced environment prior to performing step (d). 7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the oxygen-reduced environment is one of a vacuum and an inert atmosphere.8. A method of making a hermetic seal comprising the steps of:(a) providing a first member of a first material having a flange thereon; (b) providing a second member of a second material having a slot thereon for accommodating the flange in said slot such that there is a gap between the slot and the flange; (c) providing a sealant in the slot; and (d) heating the sealant such that the sealant fills at least a portion of the gap between the flange and the slot for forming the hermetic seal therebetween, wherein the sealant is a solder material, and wherein the hermetic seal comprises compressive stresses. 9. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein the solder material is one of a metal wire, an alloy, and a glass solder.