Synthetic Sapphire & Ruby

Synthetic Sapphire is one of the hardest man-made materials – second only to Synthetic Diamond. It is a 99.99% pure single crystal Aluminum Oxide that offers broad spectral transmission combined with high thermal conductivity, high strength, high temperature capability and is one of the most chemically durable materials known. And ruby is made when this very same material is doped with a small concentrate of chromium (Cr), which produces shades of red without effecting the mechanical properties in any way.

Some of the outstanding characteristics of sapphire:

▲ Mechanical properties – High Strength – with strength and stiffness 6 times higher than quartz, combined with excellent wear and scratch resistance – sapphire becomes the high-performance choice.

▲ Optical properties – with transmission from 200 to over 5500 nm, sapphire is used in applications spanning from UV to visible to short wave infrared (SWIR). With the chemical durability and high strength and scratch resistant, sapphire optical components can survive where glass, quartz, or fused silica optics would be easily damaged, scratched or chemically attacked to become opaque.

▲Thermal properties – with a melting point over 2000 °C, and high thermal conductivity – sapphire is often used in many harsh process environments for a combination of its thermal, chemical, mechanical, and optical properties.

▲ Electrical properties – Sapphire provides a high, stable dielectric constant with the electrical insulation required for electronic substrates, RF and microwave transmitting windows and tubes.

▲ Wear properties – high strength and chemical durability combine to enable the production of dimensionally and optically stable components for long life use.

For these reasons, 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 physical & chemical environments. Its unique properties make it a cost-effective solution for those applications where long life and high performance are critical.

Aluminum Oxide Ceramic (Al2O3)

Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3- also known as Alumina) is a very hard, dense material of exceptional strength. Aluminum oxide is distinguished by very good abrasion resistance and is approximately as hard as diamond. In addition, the material is characterized by a high chemical resistance to acids and alkalis, high temperature resistance, very good electrical insulation and dielectric strength. Furthermore, it displays high thermal conductivity. Alumina finds applications in semiconductor components, pump components, high temperature furnace components, temperature sensors, automotive sensors, water purification, insulators, medical implants and so on.

Zirconium Oxide Ceramic (ZrO2)

Zirconium Oxide (ZrO2 –also known as Zirconia) is a material with very high resistance to crack propagation. It has the highest strength and toughness at room temperature of all the advanced ceramic materials. Zirconium oxide also offers other properties: for example, it is biocompatible and is thus suitable for use in the food industry, but also in medical technology. Due to its low thermal conductivity, zirconium oxide is also used as a thermal insulator. Having roughly the same elastic modulus and the same thermal expansion as steel, it is suitable for incorporation in assemblies subject to temperature stresses.