What is the function of sapphire window?
May. 09, 2024
Sapphire windows have excellent properties such as high hardness, high strength, scratch resistance, high temperature resistance, chemical durability and excellent transmission bandwidth.
Sapphire windows are ideally suited for applications where high pressure, high temperature, high thermal load, vacuum, scratch and corrosion resistance, low coefficient of friction, as well as optical and insulating properties need to be considered. Sapphire windows play an integral role in industrial, military and medical applications.
How firm is sapphire optical windows?
As a raw material, sapphire is the second hardest mineral after diamond, making it easier to shape and cut for industrial use while still offering the advantage of incredible strength and scratch resistance.
The sapphire window is very strong, even in its thin layered form. These window sheets are transparent but can withstand a wide range of corrosive chemicals in high-pressure, extreme-temperature environments.
These window can withstand up to ten times more pressure than stainless steel while offering different levels of transparency depending on the grade.
The different grades are usually not an indicator of quality, but of industry purpose. Sapphire window sheets of different specifications can be produced according to the needs of the industry. For example, optical window sheets must be able to resist scratches and maintain full clarity even under microscopic conditions.
What are the specific application of sapphire windows?
Ideal for many industrial applications, sapphire window are known for their structural integrity in high-pressure and extreme temperature environments. Due to its ability to remain chemically inert, easy to sterilize, and resistant to scratching and cracking, sapphire window sheets are also widely used in military and medical applications. A few common uses for sapphire window sheets include:
- Endoscopic instruments
- Military-grade lasers
- Submarine glass
- Furnace viewports
- Aerospace windows
- Barcode readers
- Gunsights
- Drilling vision systems
- Microscope lenses and slides
In recent years, this optical material has also found wider use in less stringent applications, such as cell phones, camera lenses, and other areas of consumer technology. It is expected that with the need for more sapphire window sheets and new manufacturing processes to reduce production costs, this glass will become cheaper to manufacture and more accessible to the public, replacing other forms of tempered glass as production costs decrease.
Cell phones, camera lenses, microscopes and computers are expected to be the first personal technologies to be tested. More technologies are expected to follow to replace silica glass as production costs come down.
Why are sapphire windows so high-performance?
Sapphire windows are considered high-performance in any industry due to their overall versatility and ability to withstand abrasive applications that would otherwise damage glass made of silica. These windows are popular because of their unique ability to withstand extreme conditions while providing precise optical clarity in almost any application.
The material is wear-resistant and can last for years before needing to be replaced, thus minimizing replacement and repair time for consumers.
Even when exposed to many corrosive chemicals and abrasive materials such as sand and other small particles, the sapphire window piece shows little to no wear, preserving the clarity of the glass.
Sapphire windows don't bend or deform when exposed to high pressures or extreme heat and cold, allowing them to be used in a variety of applications such as submarine equipment, cryogenic, and molten metal seals.
CLZ Optical Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer of optical components, such as spherical lenses, domes, windows, filters, mirrors, etc. Our products are widely used in various fields, and we also could provide coating and customized service.
We use materials like optical glass H-K9L, sapphire, silicon, fused silica etc.
Please contact me free time if you have any needs.