Silicon Carbide Mirrors For Space-based Sensors

Silicon carbide mirrors are some of the most durable optical components, capable of withstanding conditions that would damage most conventional mirrors. Made from silicon ceramic materials, SiC mirrors possess a combination of properties that provide exceptional resistance to heat, abrasives, chemicals, and environmental stresses. With SiC technology, highly durable custom optics can open the way for innovations in fields like high-energy lasers, semiconductor processing, aerospace engineering, and other areas limited only by the imaginations of scientists and engineers.

 

At our company, we produce silicon carbide mirrors that defy the constraints of conventional optics. We use advanced SiC ceramic manufacturing technology to create mirrors that withstand extreme heat, abrasion, and environmental stresses that exclude most other materials.

 

Our SiC mirrors offer unparalleled power handling without distortion or damage for high-power laser systems. With thermal conductivity four times that of copper and dimensional stability at temperatures exceeding 1000℃, our laser-grade SiC mirrors can dissipate intense heat loads that would crack ordinary mirrors. Our durable SiC mirrors maintain optical precision for years without corrosion or scratching in harsh industrial environments contaminated with abrasive chemicals or particulates. Unaffected by acids, alkalis, or organic solvents, our SiC mirrors freely operate in chemical atmospheres that quickly ruin metal or glass optics.

 

Your most demanding mirror requirements will meet their match in our SiC mirrors. No longer accept limitations imposed by fragile, inefficient materials - unleash innovations only made possible by mirrors without limits. We stand ready to help you break through barriers and realize aspirations previously thought unachievable. Contact us today to discover how we can transform your concept into a reality.

 

Features

- High hardness

- High thermal stability

- Precision surface

- Dimensional stability

- Lightweight

- Durable coatings

- Customization

 

Parameters

Product name	Silicon Carbide Mirror
Hardness	≥9 (Mohs scale)
Thermal stability	Dimensionally stable to >1000℃
Surface roughness	≤5 nm RMS
Surface flatness	λ/10 PV (λ/20 RMS)
Dimensional stability	≤25 ppm/°C expansion
Operating temp. range	-50℃ to >1000℃
Customization	Engineering services available

 

Spectrum Transmission Curve

 

Applications

SiC mirrors provide unique benefits for applications where high intensities, radiation levels, precision, or extreme environments are involved. Their exceptional material properties give them utility in fields ranging from astronomy and lasers to space exploration and particle physics research. Some critical applications include:

- Space-based telescopes

- High-energy laser optics

- Astronomical instrumentation

- UV applications

- Precision optics

- Industrial lasers

- Medical applications

- Particle beam optics

 

What material is used for optical mirrors?

Several materials are commonly used for optical mirrors:

• Glass - Glass is a popular mirror substrate due to its optical transparency, hardness, and smooth surface quality. Common types of glass for mirrors include borosilicate glasses like BK7, fused silica, and specialized glass like Zerodur, which has meager thermal expansion. Glass can withstand high optical powers and produces very flat mirrors. However, glass is relatively heavy, fragile, and more difficult to polish and mount than other mirror materials.

 

• Aluminum - Aluminum alloys are lightweight, inexpensive, and quickly polished to an optical finish. Aluminum mirrors, like space-based telescopes, are often used in visible light applications where weight is a concern. However, aluminum tarnishes over time and has a lower damage threshold, maximum operating temperature, and thermal conductivity than other metals. Aluminum oxide or enhanced aluminum coatings can help address some of these issues.

 

• Copper - Electroformed copper mirrors are lightweight, durable, and thermally stable. Copper has a high thermal conductivity, so it resists overheating, even at high optical powers. Copper mirrors are often used for infrared wavelengths where radiation absorption is a concern. However, copper tarnishes readily and is more difficult to polish to an optical finish than some metals. Copper oxide or enhanced copper coatings help prevent tarnishes and improve surface quality.

 

• Silicon - Single-crystal silicon has excellent optical properties, hardness, and dimensional stability over a wide temperature range. Silicon mirrors, like silicon carbide mirrors, are helpful for high-power CO2 laser wavelengths where most metals absorb too strongly. However, silicon is difficult to polish and coat and is very expensive. Fused silica is an amorphous form of silicon dioxide glass that shares some of the valuable properties of silicon at a lower cost.

 

• Silver - Thin silver coatings are widely used to coat copper, aluminum, and glass mirrors to improve reflectance in the visible and near-infrared spectrum. Silver has the highest reflectance of any metal for visible light. However, bulk silver mirrors corrode and tarnish too quickly for most applications and are very soft. Silver coatings are typically overcoated with quartz or magnesium fluoride for protection.

 

• Gold - Gold also has high reflectance in the visible and infrared, and it does not corrode or tarnish like silver. However, gold is costly and soft. Like silver, it is often used in thin coatings on top of more robust mirror substrates like glass, quartz, nickel alloys, and electroless nickel. Gold mirrors and coatings are found in precision optics for wavelengths up to ~2 microns.

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