The present invention concerns a combination of materials for the low temperature triggering of the activation of getter materials as well as getter devices containing said combination of materials.

Getter materials (hereinafter simply designated also as getters) are known since many years and widely employed either for all technological applications where a high static vacuum is required or for the purification of inert gases.

The operative principle of the getters is the strong chemisorption, onto their surface, of the molecules of reactive gases which are thus secured and removed from the environment to be evacuated or from the gas to be purified. Getters are subdivided into two main classes: evaporable getters and non-evaporable getters (these latters being known in the art as NEG). As evaporable getters, the alkaline earth metals calcium, strontium and especially barium are used. Non-evaporable getters are generally consisting of titanium, zirconium or alloys thereof with one or more metals seletΛeαHrom amongst aluminum and the metals of the first transition row. Both the getter types require an activation phase for their operation; in fact, because of their high reactivity towards atmospheric gases, getters are manufactured and traded in an inactive form and require a suitable activating heat-treatment once they are inserted into the evacuated volume they are intended for, and once such a volume is sealed.

Evaporable getters are especially employed in the cathodic tubes forming television screens and computer screens; in such applications, barium is always employed as the getter metal. The actual getter element, in this case, is a metal film evaporated onto an inner wall of the cathodic tube and the activation step resides in the barium evaporation starting from a precursor thereof. Barium evaporation is carried out by heating from outside of the cathodic tube, by means of a radio-frequency, a metal container wherein powders of a barium compound have been charged. Practically, as a precursor of the barium film a mixture of powders of the compound BaAI ₄ and of nickel are always used. At a temperature of about

850°C nickel reacts with aluminum and the heat generated by such a reaction makes barium to evaporate, according to a so-called "flash" phenomenon.

NEGs are used for several applications, such as active elements in the manufacture of getter pumps, in jackets evacuated for thermal insulation purposes or inside lamps. These materials are used in form of getter bodies obtained from compressed and sintered powders, or in getter devices obtained by charging the powders into containers or laminating the same onto metal strips. In the case of a NEG not requiring evaporation, the activation treating removes the thin layer of oxides, carbides and nitrides which is formed on the surface of the powder particles when the material is exposed to air for the first time after its preparation. The activating heat-treatment allows these species to migrate towards the particle core, thus exposing the metal surface of the particle, which is active in gas chemisorption.

The activation temperature of the NEGs depends on the composition, and may change from about 350°C, for an alloy having a wt% composition of 70% Zr -24.6% V - 5.4% Fe, manufactured and traded by the Applicant under the trade name St 707, to about 900°C for an alloy having a wt % composition of 84% Zr - 16% Al, manufactured and traded by the Applicant under the trade name St 101 ^® .

Therefore, both the evaporable getter materials and NEGs require a heat-treatment for their activation. As this heat-treatment has to be carried out, as stated before, when the getter is already inserted into the device it is intended for, it is required that the getter activation temperature be not too high, such as not to impair integrity and functionality of the device itself. Even when the device functionality is not jeopardized by high temperature treatments, the possibility of working at a relatively low temperature is anyway desirable. For instance, in the case of thermos devices made from steel (which have nearly completely replaced on the market the glass ones) the steel surface becomes oxidized during the getter activation, whereby the thermos must then be subjected to a mechanical cleaning operation. Such an oxidation, and the consequent cleaning operation, could be avoided, should the getter activation be carried out at a temperature of about 300°C or less. Finally, by working at a low temperature it is possible to use equipments having complexity and

costs lower than those for high temperatures, and advantages of power saving are achieved. Generally, it is therefore desirable to have getter materials which can be activated at a low temperature. However, it is sometimes required a getter material which can be activated at a temperature lower than the one actually needed, but higher than a minimum value. In some manufacturing processes, for instance, operative procedures are provided whereby a device, already containing the getter, is subjected to heat-treatments; this is the case of the manufacture of television tubes, wherein it would be desirable to have a getter that can be activated at a temperature of less than that of nearly 850°C required by the barium evaporable getters presently on the market; on the other hand, the getter shall not be activated during the sealing phase of the two glass portions forming the cathodic tube, an operation occurring at about 450°C, in order to avoid barium evaporation when the device is still open. The published Japanese patent application Kokai 8-196899 discloses a non-evaporable getter system, which can be activated at a low temperature, consisting of a mixture of powders of titanium (Ti), titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) and barium peroxide (BaO ₂ ). Both oxides should have the purpose of partially oxidizing titanium to form an intermediate oxide of this metal, Ti ₂ O ₅ , the heat produced by this reaction should activate the residual titanium; preferably from 3 to 5% of silver powder is added to such a mixture in order to render more uniform the system temperature. According to this document the disclosed mixture should become activated at a temperature of from 300 to 400°C. However this solution is not satisfactory: firstly the mentioned application discloses only the Ti-TiO ₂ - BaO ₂ system and the gettering capacity of titanium is not very high; in addition titanium oxide is an extremely stable compound which does not release oxygen and in any case, even if this occurred, oxygen would merely be transferred from titanium atoms to other titanium atoms with a power balance of zero, hence without any heat release useful for activating the getter system. Finally the document gives no example to prove the actual efficiency of the system to activate the powder of titanium.

It is therefore an object of the present application that of providing a getter system which can be activated ataiow temperature. This object is obtained by means of a combination of materials comprising:

- an evaporable getter material or a non-evaporable getter alloy; and

- an oxide chosen among Ag ₂ O, CuO, MnO ₂ , Co ₃ O ₄ or mixtures thereof.

To the above-disclosed combination of materials a third component may optionally be added, consisting of an alloy comprising: a) a metal chosen among rare earths, yttrium, lanthanum or mixtures thereof; and b) copper, tin or mixtures thereof.

The invention will be hereinafter illustrated with reference to the drawings, wherein: FIGS. 1 to 6 show possible alternative embodiments of getter systems of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the temperature profile of a combination of materials of the invention as a consequence of heating;

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the temperature profile of another combination of materials of the invention as a consequence of heating;

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the temperature profile of a further combination of materials of the invention and of the atmosphere of the oven where the combination is heated;

FIG.10 is a graph showing the temperature profiles of a further combination of materials of the invention and of the atmosphere of the oven where the combination is heated;

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the temperature profile of still another combination of materials of the invention as a consequence of heating;

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the temperature profile of a combination of materials of the prior art as a consequence of heating;

FIG. 13 is a graph showing, on a double logarithmic scale, the hydrogen sorption lines of two tablets of NEG material, one of which is activated according to the procedures according to the invention and the other one is activated according to the conventional method; in the graph, the gas sorption rate (S) is recorded as ordinates and the sorbed gas quantity (Q) as abscissas;

FIG. 14 shows a CO sorption line, obtained likewise the ones of FIG. 13, for a barium film evaporated by using a combination of the invention.

The combinations of the invention, wherr heated at a temperature comprised between about 280 and 500°C, give rise to a strongly exothermic reaction. During such a reaction, the temperature suddenly

rises and can reach values in excess of 1000X, such as to trigger, by means of a relatively low temperature treatment, the activation of the getter materials.

According to the broadest aspect of the present invention, there are provided two-component combinations of materials.

The first component of the combinations of materials of the invention is a getter material, which may be either of the evaporable or of the non- evaporable type.

The evaporable getter material is generally a compound comprising an element chosen among calcium, strontium and barium, preferably in the form of an alloy to limit the reactivity of these elements to air. The most commonly employed is the intermetallic compound BaAl ₄ , usually admixed with powder of nickel and possibly addition of small quantities of aluminum. As NEG material practically all the known getter alloys can be used, comprising zirconium, titanium or mixtures thereof and at least another element chosen among vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, niobium, tantalum and tungsten.

Zirconium-based alloys are preferred, such as the binary alloys Zr-AI, Zr-Fe, Zr-Ni, Zr-Co and the ternary alloys Zr-V-Fe and Zr-Mn-Fe; particularly preferred is the use of the previously mentioned St 101 and St 707 alloys.

The getter materials are preferably used in the form of powders having a particle size of less than 150 μm and preferably lower than 50 μm.

The second component of the combinations of materials of the invention is an oxide chosen among Ag ₂ O, CuO, MnO ₂ , Co ₃ O ₄ or mixtures thereof.

These oxides are preferably employed in the form of powders having a particle size of less than 150 μm and preferably lower than 50 μm.

In the reaction for activation of the combinations according to the invention a portion of the getter material is oxidized by the oxide; therefore in dimensioning the getter system with a view to the application it is necessary to provide for an excess of getter material. The ratio by weight between the getter material and the oxide can vary within wide limits, but preferably it is comprised between 10:1 and 1 :1. With ratios higher than

10:1 the quantity of oxide is insufficient to obtain an efficient activation of the getter material. With ratios lower than 1 :1 the oxide is in excess with the drawback that during the activation an excessive quantity of getter material is oxidized, thus being no longer available to its function in the devices which the combination is intended for; furthermore an excess of oxide produces more heat than that necessary for activating the getter, thus representing a waste of material. Within these limits the quantity of oxide required is the lower the lower the activation temperature of the getter material. The quantity of oxide depends also on geometrical parameters, as explained in the following.

The two components of the combination may be mixed to form a completely homogeneous mixture. In alternative it is possible to operate so that the oxide, which is generally the minority-component, is concentrated in a region of the getter system, and that another portion of the system is exclusively formed of getter material: in this case it is possible to prepare a homogeneous mixture of the oxide with a portion of the getter material, e.g. obtaining a mixture in which the weight ratio of the two materials is 1 :1 , then contacting such a mixture with the remaining portion of getter material. In both cases the transfer, in the overall getter system, of the heat generated in the exothermic reaction between the two components of the inventive combination is the more effective the larger is the contact surface between the oxide and the portion of getter material intended to react with the oxide itself. In case that the oxide is homogeneously dispersed in the getter system, the condition of greater contact surface is achieved by merely using both components with a fine particle size. On the contrary, in case that the getter system is essentially divided in two portions, one of getter material only and one of combination of the invention, the use of components with fine particle size is necessary for this second portion only of the system. In this case the heat transfer is the better the larger the contact surface between the two portions of the system.

The two-component getter systems obtained according to the invention may have any different geometry. In both cases of oxide being either dispersed in the getter material or concentrated in a region of of the system, the oxide can be compressed to obtain a tablet, formed of powders placed in a container or deposited onto a flat support, e. g. a

strip, according to the intended use.

Figs. 1 to 3 show some possible embodiments of getter devices including two-component combinations of materials according to the invention when the oxide is not homogeneously distributed in the whole getter system. In Fig. 1 the getter device is provided by a tablet 10 formed of a layer 11 of a getter material 13 and a layer 12 of a combination 14 of the invention, formed of an oxide and a getter material uniformly admixed; although such a geometry can be used with any kind of getter material, it is particularly suitable when a NEG material is employed. In Fig. 2 another getter device is shown containing a combination of materials of the invention; in this case the device 20 consists of a container 21 , open at its upper side, in the lowermost portion of which a layer 22 of a combination 14 of the invention is contained, with a layer 23 of getter material 13 thereupon. This embodiment is suitable for both the use with evaporable getter materials and the use with NEG materials.

In Fig. 3 still another possible getter device is represented, comprising a two-component combination of materials of the invention; in this case the device 30 is essentially in a planar form, and consists of a planar support 31 whereupon a layer 32 of materials of the inventive combination 14 is deposited; thereupon a layer 33 of a getter material 13 is deposited. The getter devices of the kind represented in Fig. 3 may be employed either with evaporable getter materials or with NEG materials and are particularly suitable for maintaining vacuum in evacuated enclosures having a low thickness, like e.g. the flat television screens. In a second aspect of the invention, there are provided three- component combinations of materials comprising a getter and an oxide, as described above, and a third component being an alloy comprising: a) a metal chosen among rare earths, yttrium, lanthanum or mixtures thereof; and b) copper, tin or mixtures thereof.

As third component, preferred are the Cu-Sn-MM alloys, with MM designating the mischmetal, which is a commercial mixture of rare earths prevailingly containing cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and lesser amounts of other rare earths. The weight ratio of copper to tin and mischmetal may range within wide boundaries, but preferably the alloy has a weight content of

mischmetal ranging between about 10 and 50%; copper and tin may be present individually or in admixture in any ratio with each other and their weight in the alloy may range from 50 to 90%.

The Cu-Sn-MM alloy is preferably used in the form of a powder having a particle size lower than 150 μm, and preferably lower than 50 μm.

These alloys may react with the oxide component of the combination similarly to getter materials; therefore, when three-component combinations are used, the exothermic reaction is caused to happen between the oxide and the Cu-Sn-MM alloy, saving thus the getter component for its intended gettering function. This is obtained with configurations of the getter systems in which the oxide and the Cu-Sn-MM alloy are admixed, whereas the getter material is not admixed with the other two components.

The oxide and the Cu-Sn-MM alloy must be intimately in contact to each other. Due to this reason, it is preferred to use a fine particle size of the two materials and to form by stirring a powder mixture as much homogeneous as possible. The mixture may then be compressed to form tablets or placed in open containers or deposited onto flat carriers, to which a getter material in suitable geometry is added to yield complete getter devices. Some possible getter devices are represented in FIGs. 4-6; even though the geometries represented in FIGs. 4-6 are similar to those of FIGs. 1-3, these are obviously not the only possible geometries for the devices of the invention. In FIG. 4 is shown a getter device 40 formed of a layer 41 of a getter material 43 and a layer 42 of a mixture 44 of oxide and third component alloy; in FIG. 5 another getter device 50 is represented consisting of an open container 51 in the lowermost portion of which a layer 52 of the mixture 54 of oxide and third component alloy is contained, with a layer 53 of getter material 55 thereupon; in FIG. 6 is represented a further possible getter device 60, substantially in planar form, consisting of a metal carrier 61 whereupon a layer 62 of mixture 64 of oxide and third component alloy is deposited, whereupon a layer 63 of a getter material 65 is deposited. Similarly to two-component combinations, even though all these shapes may be used both with evaporable and non-evaporable getters, tablet devices as shown in FIG. 4 are best suited for use with NEG materials, and the thin devices of FIG. 6 are preferred for use in low- thickness chambers.

ln three-component combinations of materials, the weight ratio between the oxide and the Cu-Sn-MM alloy may range within wide boundaries; preferably, this ratio is comprised between 1 :10 and 10:1 and still more preferably between 1 :5 and 5:1. The weight ratio between the getter component and the oxide/Cu-Sn-MM mixture depends on the geometrical shape of the getter device as a whole and on the particular kind of the getter material. The transfer of the heat generated in the exothermic reaction between the oxide and the Cu-Sn-MM alloy to the getter material is so more effective the larger is the contact surface between the materials. As a consequence, in order to activate a given kind of getter in a planar configuration of the type represented in FIG. 6, it will be needed a lesser amount of oxide/Cu-Sn-MM mixture with respect to the tablet configuration of FIG. 4. Geometry being equal, the required amount of oxide/Cu-Sn-MM mixture is directly proportional to the activation temperature of the particular getter material used; for instance, the activation of the cited St 707 alloy requires an amount of oxide/Cu-Sn-MM mixture lower than the one required for the activation of the cited St 101 ^® alloy or for barium evaporation.

The heating of these devices up to the triggering temperature of the reaction between the materials of the invention can be carried out from outside the evacuated chamber, through a radio-frequency or by inserting the chamber into an oven; alternatively, it is also possible to incorporate heaters into the getter devices themselves (these optional incorporated heating elements are not shown in FIGs. 1-6); such incorporated heating elements are advantageously consisting of electrically insulated electric wires, which can be heated by means of a current flow.

The invention will be further illustrated by the following examples. These non limiting examples show a few embodiments intended for teaching those skilled in the art how to put the invention into practice and are a represention of the best considered mode to perform the invention. EXAMPLE 1

50 mg of powdered St 707 alloy are admixed with 50 mg of a powder of Ag ₂ O; both the powders show a particle size lower than 150 μm. The powder mixture is compressed at 3000 kg/cm ² to form a tablet providing sample 1. Sample 1 is fitted into a metal sample-carrier and put into a glass flask connected to a vacuum system. Upon evacuating the flask,

sample 1 is induction-heated by means of a coil placed outside the flask. A thermocouple is in contact with the sample. By causing electric current to flow in the coil, the sample-carrier and the alloy are heated by induction. The temperature values measured by the thermocouple are recorded against the time, starting from the moment of first flow of the current in the coil. The temperature values read on the thermocouple are plotted on the graph of Fig. 7. EXAMPLE 2

The procedure of example 1 is repeated, by using a sample (sample 2) consisting of 100 mg of powdered St 707 alloy and 7.5 mg of Ag ₂ O. Test results are plotted in the graph of FIG.8. EXAMPLE 3

150 mg of Ag ₂ O powder are admixed with 150 mg of a powdery alloy having the wt% composition 40% Cu-30% Sn-30% MM; both the powders show a particle size lower than 150 μm. The powder mixture is compressed at 3000 kg/cm ² to form a tablet forming sample 3. Sample 3 is fitted into a metal container and the whole is put into an evacuated oven.

In the oven two thermocouples are present, the first one being positioned in a zone far from the sample and the second one inside the metal container, contacting the sample. The heating of the oven is started and the temperature values of the two thermocouples are recorded as a function of time. The temperature values read on the two thermocouples are recorded on the graph of FIG. 9, as line 1 for the first thermocouple, measuring the temperature of the oven atmosphere, and as line 2 for the second thermocouple, measuring the temperature of the sample, respectively.

EXAMPLE 4

The procedure of example 3 is repeated, using a sample (sample 4) prepared replacing Ag ₂ O by CuO. Test results are recorded in the graph of FIG. 10 as line 3, showing the profile of the temperature measured by the thermocouple far from the sample, and as line 4, showing the profile of the temperature measured by the thermocouple contacting the sample, respectively.

EXAMPLE 5 The procedure of example 3 is repeated, using a sample (sample 5) prepared replacing Ag ₂ O by MnO ₂ . Sample 5 is fitted into the sample

carrier made from metal and inserted into a glass bulb connected to a vacuum system. After having evacuated the bulb, sample 5 is subjected to induction heating by means of a coil located outside the bulb. In this case, since the interior of the bulb is not heated, only one thermocouple is used, measuring the variation of the sample temperature. Temperature values of the sample during the test are recorded as line 5 in FIG.11.

EXAMPLE 6

A test series are carried out by using different inventive combinations of materials. In these tests samples 6 through 11 , formed by different mixtures of oxides with the alloy of example 3, are charged and compressed into a ring-shaped container. Tests are carried out in an evacuated glass bulb as is described in example 5, by subjecting the samples to induction heating. Sample number, weight percentages of the components of the different mixtures and the temperatures triggering the exothermic reaction for the different compositions are recorded on Table 1. Temperatures shown in the Table have an uncertainty degree of ±5°C, because of difficulties in positionig the thermocouple near the sample.

TABLE 1

EXAMPLE 7 (COMPARATIVE,

In this example the activation behaviour of a sample prepared according to the Japanese patent application Kokai 8-196899 is evaluated.

The procedure of example 1 is repeated, with a sample (sample 12) obtained by stirring 100 mg of titanium powder, 2 mg of powdered titanium oxide and 5.5 mg of powdered barium peroxide. Test results are plotted in

the graph of Fig. 12. EXAMPLE 8

700 mg of the St 707 alloy above, 200 mg of Ag ₂ O and 200 mg of the CuO-Sn-MM alloy of example 3 are weighed; all components are in the form of a powder with a particle size lower than 150 μm. The powders of CuO-Sn-MM alloy and Ag ₂ O are mixed by mechanical stirring, charged into a metal container having a diameter of 1 ,5 cm and slightly compressed; the powder from St 707 alloy is poured onto this layer and the whole is compressed at 3000 kg/cm ² ; this container with the powders provides sample 13. The sample is inserted into a glass bulb entering an oven connected to a manometer and, through cutoff valves, to a pumping system and to a gas metering line. The system is evacuated and heating is started until a thermocouple contacting the container records a 290°C temperature. The oven is switched off and the sample is allowed to cool down to room temperature. The system is isolated from the pumping system and a gas sorption test is carried out by feeding subsequent hydrogen doses according to the procedures described by Boffito et al. in the article "The properties of some zirconium based gettering alloys for hydrogen isotope storage and purification", Journal of the Less-Common Metals, 104 (1984), 149-157. Test results are recorded on the graph in FIG. 13 as line 6.

EXAMPLE 9 (COMPARATIVE)

The test of example 8 is repeated, except for the fact that in this case the inventive combination of materials is not used, and the St 707 getter alloy is activated according to the conventional method, subjecting the same to an induction heating at 500°C for 10 minutes.

The sorption line measured on the thus activated alloy is recorded on the graph of FIG. 13 as line 7. EXAMPLE 10 200 mg of a powder mixture, containing 47 wt% BaAI ₄ and 53 wt% nickel, and 800 mg of the mixture Ag ₂ O/Cu-Sn-MM alloy of example 3 are weighed. The mixture Ag ₂ O/Cu-Sn-MM alloy is placed onto the bottom of a metal container such as the one of example 8 under a slight compression. Over the thus formed iayer, a layer formed by the powder of the above BaAI ₄ /Ni mixture is deposited. The thus formed sample is inserted into a glass flask with a 1 I volume, with a manometer and, through cutoff valves,

a pumping system and a gas metering line connected thereto. The flask is evacuated and the sample is subjected to induction heating. At a temperature of about 300X, measured by means of a thermocouple contacting the metal container, the formation is observed of a barium metal film on the inner surface of the flask. The system is allowed to cool down and a CO sorption measurement is performed according to the procedures of the standard technique ASTM F 798-82. The test result is recorded on the graph of FIG.14 as line 8.

The behaviors of some combinations of the invention and of the prior art are recorded in the graphs of Figs. 7-12. All the graphs show a common profile of temperatures, characterized by a regular temperature rising in the initial part of the test, followed by a sudden temperature increase. This sudden increase of temperature is due to the heat released by the reactions between the materials constituting the samples; the temperature reached at the beginning of the exothermic phenomenon is the lowest temperature to be attained by heating from outside for obtaining the getter system activation, that is, the triggering temperature of the getter system. As is noted comparing the graphs of Figs. 7-11 and the results in Table 1 with the graph of Fig. 12, the exothermic reaction is triggered in the inventive combinations at temperatures comprised between about 280 and 475X, while in the prior art combination such a reaction is triggered at a temperature of about 730°C. Considering that the activation of pure titanium starts already at relatively low temperatures, little above 500X, and the triggering temperature of the exothermic reaction in the Ti-TiO ₂ - BaO ₂ system resulting from the graph of Fig.6 is of about 730X, it is clear that in this case the exothermic reaction does not afford the intended object of activating the getter at a temperature lower than that usually required; in this case one can possibly see a help, if any, to activation, which is however mostly carried out by heating from outside. The temperatures reached by the getter systems of the invention are sufficient for activating both the evaporable getters and the non- evaporable getters. This is confirmed by the analysis of FIGs. 13 and 14. In FIG. 13, line 6 shows the gas sorption carried out by the 700 mg of St 707 alloy activated by means of an inventive combination, whilst line 7 shows the gas sorption for the same amount of St 707 alloy activated by means of the conventional method. As it is noted in FIG. 13, the sorption

iines concerning equal amounts of getter alloy activated by means of the two methods are substantially overlapping each other, which proves the inventive combination is effective in triggering the getter alloy activation. In FIG. 14 a gas sorption line is shown for a barium film evaporated by heating at 300X a precursor comprising an inventive combination. Also in this case, the barium film evaporated by heating the system with an external source at 300X shows good sorption properties, whilst the evaporation according to the conventional method requires temperatures higher than 800X. By means of the combinations of the invention, it is possible to predetermine the triggering temperature of the activation of a getter material, by setting the same at a value comprised between about 280X and about 500X. This control of the triggering temperature is performed by varying parameters such as the chemical nature of the components of the triggering combination, their weight ratio, the powder particle size and the contact surface between the combination of the invention and the getter material.

Particularly, the triggering temperature of the activation may be chosen over a certain lower limit, when it is desired to avoid that the getter activation be triggered at temperatures lower than those preset; it is, for instance, the case previously mentioned of the production of television tubes, where it is desirable to have a barium evaporation temperature lower than about 850X required by the conventional method, but higher than about 450° that may be reached by the getter system during the tube sealing step.