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Sapphire Products >> Sapphire Windows |
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| Sapphire properties |
| Synthetic sapphire is a single crystal known for its high hardness, strength, scratch resistance, temperature resistance, purity, chemical durability, and superior radiation stability. These exceptional properties make sapphire windows the ideal solution for complex engineering design challenges. Sapphire windows are unparalleled in addressing these needs. |
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| Sapphire Orientation |
| Single crystal sapphire, a hexagonal structure crystalline material, is used in sapphire windows. The orientation of sapphire windows can significantly impact their mechanical, optical, thermal, and birefringence properties. |
| “Orientation” refers to the angle of the sapphire crystal from its optical axis, also known as the C-axis. Sapphire windows are available in C, R, A, M plane, and random orientations. |
| • The most common orientation is perpendicular to the face of the sapphire window, referred to as the "C-plane" or "zero-degree" sapphire window. The primary reason is that sapphire is naturally birefringent along all other axes, while C-cut sapphire eliminates this property. C-cut sapphire is also the strongest and most mechanically symmetric orientation, making C-plane sapphire windows ideal for optical applications. |
| • Random plane sapphire windows are the least expensive and are generally specified for non-critical optical or mechanical applications. When cut in a random orientation, the internal structure of the crystal planes can be in any direction, resulting in birefringence. |
| • A A plane sapphire windows have a uniform dielectric constant and highly insulating characteristics, making them perfect for semiconductor applications. This orientation also provides the hardest type of sapphire material, making A-plane sapphire windows more scratch-resistant than C-plane sapphire windows. |
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| Sapphire Windows Applications |
| • Due to its exceptional properties of high hardness, high strength, scratch resistance, high temperature resistance, chemical durability, and excellent transmission bandwidths from UV to mid IR, sapphire windows are widely used for protecting cameras, detectors, and sensors. |
| • With an extremely high melting temperature of 2030°C, sapphire windows can withstand extremely high temperatures, making them the preferred choice for high heat applications such as viewing windows on furnaces and high-temperature equipment. |
| • Sapphire windows can withstand extreme speeds and transmit infrared light for observation, making them suitable for Electro-Optics Systems Windows in defense and aerospace applications. |
| • Sapphire provides a wide transmission bandwidth (0.2-5µm) and is much stronger than other optical materials. Sapphire windows are often designed for transparent domes and underwater windows. Their high strength and high-pressure resistance offer an effective barrier against external damage, making them ideal for high-pressure applications in underwater surveillance vehicles. |
| • Sapphire is second only to diamond in terms of strength, providing high scratch resistance and durability. Sapphire windows can be exposed to extreme environments such as sand and particulates with minimal impact on performance or clarity, making them widely used for premium devices like scanner windows, aerospace windows, inspection windows, watch faces, and gun sights. |
| • Sapphire's chemical stability makes it highly corrosion-resistant and unaffected by most bases or acids, including hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid. Sapphire windows can withstand long exposures to plasmas and excimer lamps. |
| • Sapphire windows are designed to protect high-strength lamps and flashlights due to their low thermal expansion rate and excellent scratch resistance. They can endure temperatures up to 1950°C with no shape change and minimal mechanical performance reduction. |
| • Sapphire windows can withstand high-power laser radiation, making them ideal for laser optics. Their excellent optical quality ensures minimal loss and distortion in laser systems. |
| • Sapphire windows are well-suited for military applications due to their excellent resistance to impact and abrasions. They are used as protective layers of transparent shielding in place of conventional vehicle glass. The superior mechanical and optical properties of sapphire transparent armor help defend against higher threat levels that combat vehicles face, providing superior ballistic performance, enhanced night vision effectiveness, and increased durability in challenging environments. Sapphire windows perform well in sandy desert conditions and resist etching from rocket launches, significantly improving visibility for vehicle operators. |
| • Combining excellent optical clarity, chemical inertness, scratch resistance, and biocompatibility, sapphire windows are ideally suited for diverse medical applications, such as medical imaging, medical lasers, biochemical analysis, spectroscopy, dental instruments, and endoscopes. Sapphire windows are also used in surgical robotics to enhance precision, accuracy, safety, and efficiency. |
| • Sapphire windows excel in harsh environments, withstanding immense pressure, low temperatures, and corrosive seawater. Their exceptional strength and clarity enable remote and high-powered camera inspections for the oil and gas industry. |
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| HYT Sapphire Optics Capability |
| HYT Sapphire Optics is a leading manufacturer of sapphire windows. With over 20 years of diverse experience, our state-of-the-art factory can develop precision-customized sapphire windows tailored to your project's specifications, including dimensions, orientations, surface accuracy, and coating. Our achievable specifications for sapphire windows include diameters up to 500 mm, lengths up to 700 mm, thicknesses as thin as 80 microns, surface accuracy to 1/10 lambda (lambda 633 nm), surface quality to 10/5 scratch-dig, and parallelism less than 3 arc seconds, depending on size and construction. These sapphire windows can also incorporate steps, tapers, beveled edges for sealing, and polished edges. |
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