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Applications

Optical Applications of Sapphire Infrared:

The outstanding applications for synthetic sapphire have been as components in near infra-red equipment where sapphire has found use in systems involving lead selenide and indium antimonide detectors because of the "match" between transmission of sapphire and sensitivity of the detector material. Flat and curved windows are used in detector cells because of transmission, low cost and ease of sealing to glasses such as Corning 7520.

Lenses are also made of sapphire in place of windows in detector cells where the same properties including the intermediate refractive index of sapphire apply. IR domes made of sapphire offer the important advantages of high resistance to thermal shock, abrasive and other difficult environmental conditions.

Sapphire is an excellent substrate for filters and reticles because of its transmissivity, chemical stability, ability to take deposits well, and very high strength (allowing for extremely thin sections where needed). In many cases, sapphire has become the commonly used material (compared to others with parallel properties) because of comparitively low cost.

Lamp Envelopes:

Sapphire has found use as a lamp envelope in discharge lamps because of its excellent transmission in UV and near infra-red regions coupled with its extreme chemical stability which prevents it from breaking down under high temperature and strong radition conditions.

Light Pipes:

Sapphire rods act as an excellent IR light pipe under high temperature conditions.

Pressure Windows:

High strength chemical resistance make sapphire extremely useful as windows in high pressure applications such as combustion chamber or undersea work.

Lasers:

Sapphire doped with chromium (pink sapphire or ruby) emits monochromatic light under proper excitation conditions.

Jewel Bearings:

A variety of several hundred types and sizes of bearings made from sapphire, ruby and tungsten carbide (also spinel and agate on request) are available in the following forms:
  Vee Jewels
  Orifice Jewels
  Cup Jewels
  Endstones
  Hole jewels with straight or rounded hole, bombe surfaces or cups.

Holes sizes from .003" up to 1/4" available. Tolerances held as close as .000020" for ultra-precise needs.

Jewel bearings are available mounted in metal holders with or without threads-manufactured from brass, stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium.

See our standards list of commonly made jewel bearings to guide you in your prototype designs.

Wear Surfaces:

Highly polished sapphire, ruby or tungsten carbide shapes such as polished round and square plates. Used as a camera film and magnetic tape guides. Extreme resistance to wear and dimensional stability and relative low cost find a variety of applications in instrumentation, tooling, sales checkouts, etc.

Balls:

Precision balls from .005" to 3/4" diameter in sapphire, ruby and tungsten carbide-highly polished.

Pivots & Stylii:

For instrument pivots and scribing tools.

Electronic Components:

Polished or unpolished forms such as rods, plates, drilled tubes, threaded coil forms made from sapphire or ruby. Excellent thermal and chemical stability, low RF absorbtivity, high electrical resistivity, moderate thermal conductivity, close mechanical tolerances, no degassing problems create ideal material for difficult applications where glass or ceramics are unsuitable. Thermal coefficient of expansion can be matched to commonly available glasses and metals. Relatively low dielectric constant makes it very useful for highly stable RF capacitors and IC substrates.