KBr optical components
SINOPTIX supplies optical windows made of optical grade potassium bromide. KBR is a clear material, with high mechanical shock resistance and broad transmission range.
Potassium Bromide characteristics
Potassium bromide substrates used by SINOPTIX are manufactured by powder compacting and polishing in China. As you can see below KBr is a soft material not easy to polish.
KBr properties chart
| Material denomination | Potassium Bromide |
| Chemical elements | KBr |
| Refractive index | 1.46 to 1.59 |
| Transmission range | 0.25 µm to 26µm |
| Density | 2.75 g/cm3 |
| Hardness | 1.5 Mohs |
| Young’s modulus | 24 GPa |
| Thermal expansion | 39*10-6 °K-1 |
| Thermal conductivity | 4.8 W/(m*°K) |
| Melting point | 730 °K (1020°C) |
Visit our complete guide on IR optics.
Potassium bromide optical components capabilities
Manufacturing capabilities
| Properties | Values |
|---|---|
| Available dimensions | Diam 5 to D50mm |
| Dimensional tolerances | +/-0.5mm |
| Thickness | up to 10mm |
| Surface quality | S&D : 60/40 |
| Flatness | – |
| Roughness- | – |
| Parallelism | – |
| Thickness tolerance | +/- 0.2mm |
| Centration | – |
| Coatings | no coating available |
SINOPTIX KBr optical components references:
Available KBR optical components
KBr optics are mainly used as spectrometers windows.
We can propose below kinds of optical components :
As the KBr optics are manufactured from a compacted pellet shapes and processing is limited.
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KBr windows as an solution for IR applications
KBr has a very good optical transmission from visible to far infrared including thermal IR spectrum. But as the material is not water compatible, applications are limited to laboratory or dry environment.
It is worth to note that the KBr optics can stand up to 300°C more than most IR optical materials.