Calcium Fluoride Optical Windows

Name: Calcium Fluoride Optical Windows
Brand: PhotonEdge
SKU: PE-WINDOW-CAF2-018
Availability: LimitedAvailability

Key Specifications

Material	Calcium Fluoride (CaF₂)
Transmission	130 nm - 7800 nm
Diameter	5-100 mm
Thickness	1-30 mm
Surface Quality	20-10 / 10-5
Flatness	λ/4 @ 632.8nm
Refractive Index	1.43 @ 632.8nm (low)
CTE	18.85 ppm/K

What Is a Calcium Fluoride Optical Windows?

Calcium Fluoride Optical Windows are fabricated from Calcium Fluoride optical material, providing specialized transmission and mechanical properties for demanding optical applications.

PhotonEdge sources Calcium Fluoride windows from certified material suppliers and coordinates precision manufacturing through our optical manufacturing network.

When Should You Use This Product?

✔ Good Choice When

✓ Deep UV spectroscopy (193nm, 248nm)
✓ Broadband UV to mid-IR systems
✓ Excimer laser windows
✓ Low-index substrate for coatings

⚠ Consider an Alternative When

✗ Budget-sensitive visible → BK7 Window

✗ Extreme scratch resistance → Sapphire Window

✗ UV-only, cost-sensitive → UV Fused Silica Window

✗ Mid-IR only → ZnSe Window

Available Optical Materials

Select the optimal substrate material based on your wavelength, environment, and budget requirements.

Material	Transmission	Key Advantage	Considerations
N-BK7	VIS / NIR (350-2000nm)	Low cost, good visible performance	No UV transmission below 350nm
UV Fused Silica	UV / VIS / NIR (185-2100nm)	Best UV transmission, low CTE, no solarization	Premium cost
Sapphire	UV / VIS / NIR (150-5500nm)	Extreme hardness (9H), scratch resistant	Birefringent, higher Fresnel loss
CaF₂	UV / VIS / IR (130-7800nm)	Broadest transmission, low index, excellent UV	Fragile, moisture sensitive

Not sure which material to choose?

Ask AI Optical Engineer

Optical Coating Options

UV AR

AR for deep UV wavelengths.

Typical use: UV laser and spectroscopy

BBAR UV-MIR

Broadband AR from 200nm to 6µm.

Typical use: Multi-band systems

Uncoated

Raw CaF₂. ~3.5% per surface (low n advantage).

Typical use: Non-critical

How to Specify Your Coating

To select the right coating, please provide: (1) Operating wavelength, (2) Angle of incidence, (3) Required transmission or reflectivity, (4) Laser power density (if applicable), (5) Operating environment.

Engineering Considerations

Key factors to evaluate when specifying this optical component for your system.

Wavelength Range

Calcium Fluoride has specific transmission characteristics. Verify compatibility with your operating wavelength.

Surface Quality

Specify based on application: 40-20 for general, 20-10 for precision, 10-5 for laser-grade.

Flatness

λ/4 standard. Tighter specifications available for wavefront-critical systems.

Environmental

Consider thermal, chemical, and mechanical environment when selecting window material.

Applications

Spectroscopy

Beam conditioning, wavelength selection, and signal extraction in spectrometers.

Laser Systems

Laser line filtering, beam shaping, and optical filtering.

Fluorescence & Bioimaging

Excitation and emission filtering for fluorescence microscopy.

Research & Education

Optical measurement setups and spectroscopic analysis.

Manufacturing & Customization

PhotonEdge supports optical component sourcing, engineering review, and qualified manufacturing through our optical manufacturing network. We coordinate production, coating, and inspection to deliver components that meet your specifications.

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Prototype

⚙️

Low Volume

🏭

Volume Production

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Custom Specification

Quality Assurance

Dimensional Inspection

Diameter, thickness, focal length verified per specification

Surface Quality

Scratch-dig inspection under calibrated illumination

Coating Verification

Spectrophotometric measurement of transmission/reflectance

Inspection documentation available according to project requirements. Certificates of Conformance, material test reports, and coating curves can be provided.

You May Also Need

Related Knowledge

Engineering Documentation

The following documentation is available upon request for qualified engineering projects:

📐

Dimensional Drawing

CAD & dimensional specs per your requirements

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Material Data Sheet

Material properties, transmission curves & certificates

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Coating Performance Curve

Spectrophotometric measurement data

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Inspection Report

Surface quality, flatness, centration & dimensional data

✅

Certificate of Conformance

CoC with full traceability per project requirements

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Custom Specification Sheet

Application-specific specification documentation

Documentation availability depends on project scope and order quantity. Request details during RFQ.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sizes are available?

Standard diameters range from 5mm to 100mm with thicknesses from 1mm to 50mm. Larger sizes and custom shapes are available upon request.

Can these windows be used in vacuum environments?

Most optical window materials are compatible with vacuum environments. Fused silica and sapphire have very low outgassing characteristics.

What surface quality do you recommend?

For laser applications, 10-5 is recommended. For general-purpose windows, 20-10 is acceptable and more economical.

Can I specify a custom shape?

Yes. Circular, rectangular, square, and custom shapes are available. Provide your drawing or dimensional requirements for a quotation.

What flatness should I specify?

λ/10 is standard for precision applications. For wavefront-critical systems, λ/20 or tighter is available. Note that tighter flatness directly affects cost.

How do I specify a custom window?

Provide: material, diameter/shape, thickness, wavelength, surface quality, flatness, coating requirements, and quantity.

Is CaF₂ fragile?

Yes. CaF₂ is relatively soft (3 Mohs) and cleaves along crystal planes. Handle with care.

Does CaF₂ absorb moisture?

Slightly. Store in dry conditions. Not recommended for prolonged humid environments without protective coating.

Not Sure Which Specification You Need?

Describe your optical system and our AI Optical Engineer will help identify the right specifications, materials, and coatings for your application.

Analyze My Requirement

Request an Engineering Quote

Provide your requirements and our engineering team will respond within 24 hours with a detailed quotation.

MaterialTransmissionDiameterThicknessSurface QualityFlatnessRefractive IndexCTE

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