Method of brazing a ceramic article to a metal article

A new and improved method of brazing a ceramic-metal article is described. The ceramic-metal article comprises a ceramic article, such as a lanthana-strengthened yttria article, bonded to a metal article, such as niobium, by a layer of a brazing material, such as brazing alloy consisting essentially of 72% by weight silver, 28% by weight copper to form a joined ceramic-metal article. The method of brazing the ceramic article comprises coating a surface of the lanthana-strengthened yttria article with a group IVB metal, such as titanium, hafnium, and zirconium then placing a brazing alloy, such as a brazing alloy consisting essentially of 72% by weight silver and 28% by weight copper or a brazing alloy consisting essentially of 82% by weight gold and 18% by weight nickel, between the coated lanthana-strengthened yttria article and the niobium article and heating the layered structure in vacuum at about 50 degrees centrigrade above the liquidus temperature of the brazing alloy for a period of about 5 minutes.