II-VI, the high power CO2 and Fiber laser solution center is once again bringing you the next generation of high power laser optical materials. In collaboration with our wholly owned subsidiary M Cubed Technologies, II-VI is working to develop materials tailored for the future of high power laser processing. Engineered materials such as Reaction Bonded SiC (RB SiC) and Reaction Bonded SiC + Diamond (RB SiC + Diamond) combine all of the best material properties of traditional mirror materials into one optimized material solution.

Advantages of RB SiC over traditional high power mirror materials:

• Coefficient of thermal expansion 5x lower than copper reduces the deformation of the optical surface due to the thermal load.
• Density 3x lower than copper reduces the weight of the mirror and allows for use in cutting heads that require fast movement of the head.
• Ability to add internal water cooling channels gives it an advantage over Si mirrors.
• Ability to directly polish with roughness < 40Å and coated with any II-VI high reflector coating.

Reaction Bonded SiC + Diamond

If even greater thermal load handling capability is required RB SiC + Diamond could be the answer. With a CTE similar to CVD Diamond and a Thermal Conductivity greater than any traditional metal substrate SiC + Diamond is the ideal material for high thermal loads.

Advantages of RB SiC + Diamond :

• Potential to achieve a coefficient of thermal expansion nearly 14x superior to copper with a thermal conductivity that is 1.6x higher.
• Ability to create internal water cooling structures similar to RB SiC
• Ability to directly polish with roughness < 40Å and coated with any II-VI high reflector coating.

Materials Stability Chart

Materials Properties

Material properties of RB SiC vs. standard mirror materials

Material properties of RB SiC vs. standard mirror materials 

Material properties of Reaction Bonded SiC + Diamond

Material properties of Reaction Bonded SiC + Diamond