Low Expansion Materials

Optimum Transmission Range:

Ideal Applications:

400 - 2.300 nm

 High accuracy interferometer mirror substrates

 Large astronomical telescope mirrors

 Ring-laser gyroscope elements

 Laser resonator distance gauges


Low expansion materials like—Zerodur®, Clearceram®-Z, and ULE® glass are highly homogeneous, glass ceramic whose thermal and mechanical properties are extremely stable over a wide temperature range. This porous-free material is a carefully chosen, temperature treated combination of a glass with a positive expansion coefficient and a quartz structure crystalline phase with a negative expansion coefficient. The resultant mixture provides a material with a near zero coefficient of thermal expansion. Low expansion materials provide outstanding homogeneity, but due to absorption near the blue end of the visible spectrum, is rarely used in refractive applications.

Properties | Mechanical | Thermal


    Manufacturer's Material Data (PDFs)

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