An encapsulant for use with opto-electronic devices and optical components
incorporates a filler made from a glass that has been processed into
particle form and heated to a predetermined temperature for a
predetermined time, along with an epoxy having an index of refraction
matched to that of the glass and heated to a predetermined temperature for
a predetermined time, to prevent settling of the filler particles after
mixing the filler particles with the epoxy, and thereby obtaining uniform
dispersion of the particles within the epoxy. The encapsulant provides for
high light transmittance, and its coefficient of thermal expansion can be
varied by varying the amount of filler without substantially altering the
optical properties of the encapsulant. The coefficient of thermal
expansion variation within the encapsulant preferably is less than 30%,
due to uniform dispersion of the filler particles within the epoxy.
