A hermetically sealed glass package and method for manufacturing the hermetically sealed glass package are described herein using an OLED display as an example. In one embodiment, the hermetically sealed glass package is manufactured by providing a first substrate plate and a second substrate plate. The second substrate contains at least one transition or rare earth metal such as iron, copper, vanadium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, chromium, neodymium and/or cerium. A sensitive thin-film device that needs protection is deposited onto the first substrate plate. A laser is then used to heat the doped second substrate plate in a manner that causes a portion of it to swell and form a hermetic seal that connects the first substrate plate to the second substrate plate and also protects the thin film device. The second substrate plate is doped with at least one transition metal such that when the laser interacts with it there is an absorption of light from the laser in the second substrate plate, which leads to the formation of the hermetic seal while avoiding thermal damage to the thin-film device. Another embodiment of the hermetically sealed glass package and a method for manufacturing that hermetically sealed glass package are also described herein.