Calcium Fluoride - CaF2
lenses, windows, mirrors, filters and prisms
Click here to download PDF version of this page.CaF² is used for optical purposes as windows, prisms and lenses, transmitting from the vacuum ultraviolet into the infrared. It is a physically and chemically stable optical material with good water and chemical resistance. Two qualities are manufactured, one for Visible and Infrared applications and the other specifically for Ultraviolet applications grown from chemically pure powder.
Typically applications: VUV - UV - IR imaging systems, excimer laser windows, Spectroscopic windows and lenses, Optical Analysers, ATR crystals. Calcium Flouride is also available doped with rare earths; Europium activated is available for Scintillation detectors.
| Transmission Range | 0.13 – 10 microns |
| Crystal Structure | Fluorite |
| Cleavage Plane | 111 |
| Colour | Colourless |
| Density | 3.179 (25°) |
| Melting Point (°) | 1360 |
| Reflection Loss | 5.6% (4µ) for 2 surfaces |
| Solubility index | 0.0015gm/100gm water at 20 °C |
| Hardness (Knoop) | 158.3(110) 158.3(100) |
| Thermal Conductivity (cal/cm sec°C) | 2.32x10-2 (36°C) |
| Thermal Expansion coefficient (/°C) | 24x10-6/20-60°C |
Whilst every effort has been made to verify the data provided, no responsibility can be accepted for its accuracy