Beamsplitter Substrates

VUV Grade Calcium Fluoride (CaF2)

Calcium Fluoride is cubic single crystal optical material with good vacuum UV to infrared transmittance properties. Advantages of calcium fluoride are its low birefringent properties and its availability in a variety of different grades.

Chemically pure grades of CaF2 are used as excimer laser windows, lenses, prisms and filter substrates. Care should be taken when handling CaF2 as it is sensitive to thermal shock.

VUV Grade Magnesium Fluoride (MgF2)

Magnesium Fluoride is an optical crystal with high transmittance from the vacuum ultraviolet to the infrared. It is provided with surfaces cut perpendicular to the C-axis to minimise birefringent properties.

Due to its chemical composition, it is a proven material for use in fluorine environments as an excimer laser window.

Cultured Quartz

Cultured quartz is a grown crystalline form of silicon dioxide. It is very hard, with a low expansion coefficient and transmits light through the range of 147nm (vacuum ultraviolet) to 4.5 microns (infrared).

It is primarily used for deep UV windows, VUV filter substrates and cut-off filters due to the sharpness of the cut-off at 147nm.

UV Laser Grade Fused Silica

UV Laser Grade Fused Silica is a widely used synthetic glass for UV laser windows and lenses. It has excellent transmission from 170nm to approximately 2.5µm and minimal fluorescence.

There are a number of special grades of fused silica with high chemical purity and excellent homogeneity in one direction.