CLEARCERAM-Z

Suitable for extreme temperature environments or very high precision applications

An ultra-low thermal expansion glass-ceramic developed and manufactured by Japan’s Obara Corporation is a similar material to Zerodur (Schott) and ULE (Corning).

Product Data

Property Category	Property	Unit	Regular	HS	EX
Thermal Properties	Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (0–50℃)	10⁻⁷/°C	0.0 ± 1.0	0.0 ± 0.2	0.0 ± 0.1
Thermal Properties	Thermal Conductivity (k)	W/m·°C	1.51	1.54	1.49
Mechanical Properties	Young’s Modulus (E)	GPa	90	92	91
	Rigidity	GPa	36	37	37
	Poisson’s Ratio	—	0.25	0.25	0.25
	Knoop Hardness (Hk)*	—	600 (6)	590 (6)	620 (6)
	Abrasion (Aa)*	—	62	62	62
	Bending Strength***	MPa	216	122	126
	Specific Gravity (d)	—	2.55	2.55	2.55
Optical Properties	Refractive Index (nd)	—	1.546	1.547	1.546
	Refractive Index at 1550nm	—	1.528	1.528	1.528
	Abbe Number (νd)	—	55.5	54.9	55.5
	Internal Transmittance at 500nm	—	0.89	0.89	0.89
	Internal Transmittance at 980nm	—	> 0.98	> 0.98	> 0.98
	Internal Transmittance at 1550nm	—	> 0.98	> 0.98	> 0.98
Chemical Properties	Water Resistance (Powder)* (RW(P))	—	Class 2	Class 1	Class 1
	Acid Resistance (Powder)* (RA(P))	—	Class 1	Class 1	Class 1
	Alkali Resistance (Powder)* (Ralk(P))	%	0.25	0.19	0.18

Regular, HS and EX are three different grades or types of this material, corresponding to different performance optimization directions.

Regular:General purpose, balanced performance;
HS:Strengthening of mechanical properties;
EX:Highest thermal stability for extreme temperature environments or very high precision applications.

Applications

Space optical equipment
Vacuum interferometry platform
Atomic clock/ion trap structure
High-stability laser resonant cavity frame
Laser gyroscope system
Lightweight reflector
Precision sensing platform

Capabilities and Services

We can reliably customize the most complex optical components to support the world’s most challenging projects

Material: Zerodur, CLEARCERAM-Z, ULE, fused silica
Lightweight: up to 70% weight reduction
Minimum order quantity: one piece
Fast delivery cycle: prototypes can be completed in as fast as 7 days
On-time delivery rate: more than 99% on-time delivery rate
Maximum size supported: 500*500mm

FAQs

Differences between CLEARCERAM-Z, Zerodur and ULE

CLEARCERAM-Z: Better optical performance, good processability, suitable for transparent parts, mirror mounts, optical path windows, EX type has extremely high thermal stability.

Zerodur: Combines mechanical stability with ultra-low expansion performance, suitable for large reflectors and structural bases, widely used in aerospace and high-end astronomical equipment.

ULE: Lowest thermal expansion, highest purity, commonly used in space telescope primary mirrors, high-end interferometric measurement systems, but the processing difficulty and cost are relatively high

What is the precision range that CLEARCERAM-Z can process?

Depending on the structure and size, our company can achieve:

Flatness can reach λ/20 (optical mirror)

Dimensional tolerance within ±0.01mm

Complicated geometric parts, through holes, non-standard parts, etc. can be processed

Is CLEARCERAM-Z optically transparent? Can it be used on windows or lenses?

Yes, CLEARCERAM-Z is a transparent glass-ceramic with good light transmission performance (in the visible to near infrared range). It can be used to manufacture optical windows, structural mirrors and other optical path components.

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