Sapphire

Mi-Net Technology Ltd is the UK sales representative for St Gobain Crystals Saphikon Division , New Hampshire USA.

Saphikon produces sapphire (single crystal aluminium oxide) products using it's EFG® process.

Sapphire is the material of choice for engineers faced with the design challenges of extreme conditions such as those found in high-temperature, high-pressure or harsh chemical & physical environments. Its unique properties make it a cost-effective solution for those applications where long life and high performance are critical.

One of the hardest materials in existence, sapphire is virtually scratch proof which helps it maintain its integrity in demanding physical environments. It has a melting point of over 2000 °C, making it ideal for high-temperature applications. It is chemically inert and easily withstands harsh chemicals such as fluorine plasma and other industrial gasses and fluids, with no particle generation. In addition sapphire can transmit ultraviolet, visible and infrared light was well as microwaves, a range broader than most materials.

The EFG Process

Of the half dozen crystal growth methods currently used to produce sapphire, only Saphikon's patented EFG® Process yields "grown-to-shape" material. All of the other processes form ingots of various size which must then be cut to shape by highly skilled workers using expensive diamond impregnated tooling.

With the EFG Process, Saphikon grows tube, rod, ribbon, fiber, and 3-dimensional shapes. Often these can be used "as-grown" and are, therefore, the most cost-effective sapphire parts available anywhere in the world. Even when some machining is required to achieve close dimensional tolerances, or special surface finishes, the cost is kept to a minimum by starting with an EFG-grown blank of "near-net-shape."

Sapphire Sheet

CLASS225® and CLASS300® Sapphire Sheets are the world's largest sapphire sheets available.

CLASS® sapphire sheets range in sizes up to 9” wide by 26” long, and 12” wide by 24” long. Contact us for availability of larger sizes.

CLASS® sapphire sheets are manufactured using EFG™ technology, a process that grows single crystal sapphire to near-net shapes, thus reducing post-growth machining.

Sapphire is a high strength, durable, scratch resistant transparent material which is available in production volumes for large Aerospace optical windows, including Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) and Laser Range Finding Systems. In addition, CLASS® sapphire has been used in a Sapphire Transparent Armor System that achieves a 40% lighter and 40% thinner system than a glass-only system with the equivalent ballistic performance.

Sheet Products

A full range for any application:

• Disks, rings and windows: variety of sizes and finished thicknesses upon request
• Bonded assemblies: patented bonding process allows stacking of sheets and vacuum channel machining
• Complex shapes: machined to any form or bonded into unique shapes.
• Curved sheet: custom grown to meet the need for various sizes and shapes
• CLASS225—9" wide by 26" long
• CLASS300—12" wide by 20" long
• CLASS400—Development to be completed soon

Applications

Semiconductor Processing:

Sapphire’s superior mechanical, thermal and chemical properties are well suited to harsh environments, such as those experienced in the semiconductor industry. Applications include:

• Viewports and sight windows
• End effectors
• Gas diffusion plates
• Focus rings

Sensor Windows:

Sapphire provides superior strength, scratch resistance and broadband transmission to protect and enable many sensor applications, including:

• Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) windows
• Laser designator/range-finder windows
• Infrared windows for spectroscopic analysis
• Optical sensors for industrial processes
• Mail sorting optical scanner windows
• Heat/smoke detection windows

Sapphire Tube

We offer a full range of Sapphire tubes & rods to meet a wide variety of demanding applications.

Our Sapphire tubes are used as a superior alternative to quartz, alumina, and silicon carbide in semiconductor processing applications. In addition, our Sapphire tubes are used in various analytical instruments in lamp applications that transmit visible, infrared or ultraviolet light, often with high intensity at high temperatures and pressures.

EFG™ Tube Products

A full range of sapphire tubes for any application:

• Open-end tubes: from 0.125" to 3" diameter, up to 65" in length
• Plugged tubes: crystallographically plugged and bonded end caps
• Capillary tubes: tiny diameter tubes from 0.035" to 0.060" diameter, up to 55" in length
• Shaped tubes: variety of tubes with angles, slots, holes and bonded shapes

Applications

Semiconductor Processing:

Sapphire tubes are used as a superior alternative to quartz, alumina, and silicon carbide in semiconductor processing applications that include:

Sapphire tubes are used in various test and analytical instruments including:

Lamps and Lamp Envelopes:

Sapphire tubes are used in lamp applications that transmit visible, infrared or ultraviolet light, often with high intensity at high temperatures and pressures, including: