Single Crystal Quartz for Optical Applications
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Properties: Material · Physical · Optical
High quality optical crystal quartz in a variety of dimensions for almost any application -
- Wave Plates
- Windows
- Prisms
Characteristics: Optical Half Section · Low Pass Optical Filter Bar · Wave Plate Bar
| Optical Half Section | Low Pass Optical Filter Bar | Wave Plate Bar | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X – Height (mm) Max | 100 | 150 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 35 | ||||
| Y – Length (mm) Max | 250 | 75 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 75 | 90 | 100 | 110 | |
| Z – Width (mm) Max | 40 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 35 | 150 | ||||
| Material Region | Pure Z Region Seed Free | Pure Z Region Seed Free | + X Region Seed Free ¹ | |||||||
| Inclusions | 20/in³ or 40/in³ | Near 0 | Near 0 | |||||||
| Impurities | Low | Near 0 | Near 0 | |||||||
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¹ Typical dimensions, natural faceting may cause dimensions to vary slightly. All bars are right-handed and of zero-degree orientation. The bars are marked with minus-x,z-size and run identification.
| Weights per bar | |
|---|---|
| OHALF | 2.8-3.0kg |
| LPOF 89 | 1.8-2.0kg |
| LPOF 150 | 4.1-4.3kg |
| WPB | 1.2-1.3kg |
The new products are a culmination of a long Research & Development process in an effort to offer superior material at a reasonable cost and delivery. The key components of this effort were to accomplish the following goals to satisfy the needs of the opto-electronic market.
- Near Zero Inclusions
- Near Zero Impurities
- Large Usable Area
- Lowest Possible Cost
- Shortest Lead-Times
High quality cultured quartz crystal for a variety of optical applications - from polarizing optics for lasers to waveplates for telecommunications to windows for scientific and medical instruments. For all of these applications, birefringence and high transmittance over an extended range of wavelengths are essential. Furthermore, it is vital to ensure both high quality and batch-to-batch consistency with respect to optical homogeneity, inclusion and dislocation content.
A combination of experience, technological expertise and manufacturing resources enable the reliable supply of a wide variety of optical grade quartz products that are custom tailored to customer applications. Products can be supplied in a variety of shapes and sizes from bulk crystal in bar form to cubes, prisms, core-drilled tubes and X-ray oriented blanks.
Optical Quartz Grades Available
There are three main grades of crystal designed specifically for optical applications.
OPAG Grade – for general optical applications requiring low-inclusion quartz material with seed-free dimensions up to 100mm (X) by 250mm (Y) by 40mm (Z). Primary growth layers for these crystals are perpendicular to the Z-axis (optic axis) and parallel to the X- and Y-axes.
LPOF Grade – originally designed for use in low-pass optical filters, this grade offers quartz that is practically inclusion free. Similar to OPAG grade, primary growth layers for LPOF crystals are perpendicular to the Z-axis.
WP Grade – originally designed for large waveplate applications, this grade also offers practically inclusion free material. WP grade material differs from both OPAG and LPOF grade in that primary growth layers are perpendicular to the X-axis and parallel to the Y- and Z-axes.
Quartz Forms Available
All optical grade products are available both as bulk crystals and as fabricated shapes. Bulk crystals can be provided in “as-grown” form, or as “lumbered” bars with primary surfaces ground smooth, dimensioned and oriented to specified tolerances. In addition, a variety of fabricated shapes can be supplied, including blocks, prisms, cylinders and round or rectangular wafers. Standard shapes and dimensions are provided in the table though custom sizes and shapes are available upon request.