A hermetically sealed housing having a base deck, a cover member and a
seal assembly constructed of a liquid crystal material (LCM), the base
deck and cover member forming an enclosure containing an inert gas
atmosphere. Various embodiments have the LCM seal bonded to one or both
of the base deck and cover member and bonded to seal the enclosure by
molding, compression, adhesive bonding, thermoplastic welding or
soldering, or a combination of such.