US Patent 7438621 Hermetical end-to-end sealing techniques and lamp having uniquely sealed components

A hermetically sealed lamp having at least one end-to-end seal. The end-to-end seal may be a material diffusion bond, a seal-material bond, or any other suitable bond. For example, the hermetically sealed lamp may have one or more endcaps butt-sealed to an arc envelope, such as a ceramic tube or bulb. The hermetically sealed lamp also may have one or more tubular structures, such as dosing tubes, which are butt-sealed to the endcap and/or arc envelope. Localized heating, such as the heat provided by an intense laser, also may be used to enhance any of the foregoing bonds.