Sulphur-Based Chalcogenide Material
Chalcogenide materials are a class of compounds composed of elements from the chalcogen group, which includes oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), and tellurium (Te). These materials exhibit unique properties that make them valuable for various applications, particularly in electronics and optics. They are widely used in optics for their ability to transmit infrared light and their potential for manufacturing optical components like lenses and waveguides. Chalcogenide materials are a versatile group of materials with a wide range of potential applications.
Chalcogenide material is ideal for mid-IR optics because it has a wide transmission range from 0.5μm to 25μm, low refractive index temperature coefficient (dN/dT), low dispersion, and versatile glass compositions. The benefits of Chalcogenide in comparison with Germanium (Ge), Zinc Selenide (ZnSe), and other IR materials are allowing higher production efficiency, thus lowering production costs and consumption of scarce resources like Ge.
| Grade | Composition | ρ (g/cm³) |
| WIRG01 | Ge₃₃As₁₂Se₅₅ | 4.42 |
| WIRG02 | Ge₂₂As₂₀Se₅₈ | 4.41 |
| WIRG03 | Ge₂₀Sb₁₅Se₆₅ | 4.71 |
| WIRG04 | As₃₀Sb₄Se₆₃Sn₃ | 4.72 |
| WIRG05 | Ge₂₈Sb₁₂Se₆₀ | 4.68 |
| WIRG06 | As₄₀Se₆₀ | 4.63 |
| WIRG07 | Ge₁₀As₄₀Se₅₀ | 4.49 |
| WIRG08 | As₄₀Se₆₀ | 3.2 |
| WIRG09 | Ge₃₀As₁₃Se₃₂Te₂₅ | 4.84 |
Some of the common uses of chalcogenide glasses include infrared (IR) optics, fiber optics, photonic/optical devices, infrared sensors, phase-change memory, night vision goggles, thermal imaging cameras, nonlinear optics, photovoltaic devices, microelectronics, and gas sensors. As research into these materials continues, we will likely see even more innovative applications for them in the future.
Chalcogenide can also be manufactured in batches using precision molding technology, as compared to single-point diamond turning, like Ge, ZnSe, and other IR materials. With precision molding technology, chalcogenide can be made into flat, spherical, and aspherical optical lenses.
| Specifications | Standard | Precision |
| Diameter | 1-25mm | 1-25mm |
| Diameter Tolerance | ±0.015mm | ±0.005mm |
| Thickness Tolerance | 0.03mm | 0.005mm |
| Irregularity (P-V) | <1µm | <0.6µm |
| Irregularity (RMS) | 0.3µm | 0.08 – 0.15µm |
| Centering Error | 1′ | 1′ |
| Surface Quality | 60-40 | 20-10 |
