Designing Hermetic Connectors for Harsh Environments

Hermetic connectors play a critical role in sealing and routing signals or power through pressurized, corrosive, or vacuum environments. Applications range from defense-grade enclosures and deep-sea sensors to medical implants and aerospace guidance systems.

Design Goals

• Leak-tight performance: Helium leak rates < 1x10⁻⁹ atm-cc/sec
• Material compatibility: Coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) must be matched for brazed joints
• Electrical performance: Shielding, EMI resistance, and signal integrity

Materials & Interfaces

Common materials include Kovar (for its CTE match to ceramics and glass), 316L stainless steel, and ceramic feedthroughs (alumina). Connectors often use gold- or nickel-plated contact pins for corrosion resistance.

Applications

• Satellite electronics and missile systems
• Subsea robotics and sensors
• Implantable medical electronics

Conclusion

Precision design of hermetic connectors ensures mission reliability under extreme conditions. AHS offers customizable connector solutions engineered for rugged performance and tested under MIL-STD and ASTM hermeticity standards.