| abstract |
Methods of improving the direct bonding of articles are disclosed. Lithium can be incorporated into the composition of one of the articles and/or lithium can be added to a bonding surface by ion exchange, absorption, ion implantation, coating, or deposition. Bonding is achieved without use of adhesives or high temperature fusion. The invention is useful for bonding a wide variety of articles together such as optical components, optical fibers and articles having different coefficients of thermal expansion or refractive indices. |