Optical crystals, such as CaF2, BaF2, MgF2, LiF, NaCl, KCl, KBr, etc, are widely used in IR optics and UV optics. High transparency and low loss optical windows, prisms, lenses, achromatic lenses and parallel planes have been fabricated in these optical materials.
      Lithium fluoride (LiF) crystals suit well for manufacturing optical elements (mirrors, windows, lenses) for UV, visible and IR applications. These crystals are optically isotropic, middle hard, hygroscopic, unsolvable in water.
Lithium fluoride is the material with the most extreme UV transmission of all and is used for special UV optics. Lithium fluoride transmits well into the VUV region at the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line (121nm) and beyond. Lithium fluoride is also used for X-ray monochromator plates where its lattice spacing makes it the most useful analysis crystal.
      Magnesium Fluoride (MgF2) is the only optical material combining wide spectral transmittance band with birefringince phenomenon and satisfactory thermal expansion coefficient for isotropic crosssection. It is used for UV-radiation sources and receivers windows manufacture; for optical elements of interference-polarization filters, as laser resonator optics elements in quantum electronics and as active material in IR and submillimeter band .
Magnesium Fluoride transmits well into the VUV region to the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line (121nm) and beyond. Magnesium Fluoride is used mostly for UV optics and is excellent for Excimer laser applications.
      Calcium Fluoride (CaF2 or Fluorite) crystals are transparent in wide spectrum band. The product finds use in windows, lenses operating in UV and IR spectrum band. Laser Use: Calcium Fluoride is also used as a host lattice for laser crystals. Due to its composition CaF2 has a much longer useful life than most materials when used in fluorine environment.
Especially pure grades of Calcium Fluoride (CaF2) find useful application in the UV and as UV Excimer laser windows. Calcium Fluoride (CaF2) is available doped with Europium as a gamma-ray scintillator.
      Barium Fluoride (BaF2) crystals are transparent in wide spectrum band. The product finds use in windows, lenses of special types of objectives, as mirrors substrate in optical systems operating in UV and IR spectrum band.
Barium Fluoride is used in spectroscopic components. Barium Fluoride is often suitable for applications in the passive IR band (8 to 14 μm) and is often used as a viewport window for thermography. For an equivalent thickness the transmission extends approximately 1 micron further into the IR than Calcium Fluoride. The highest quality Barium Fluoride also has application as the fastest known scintillator material and is used in High Energy Physics Experiments. Barium Fluoride is grown by vacuum Stockbarger technique. Unlike CaF2, BaF2 is not found in the native state and all material must be synthesised chemically making BaF2 relatively expensive to produce. Barium Fluoride cleaves easily and is highly susceptible to thermal shock. It polishes well and can be etched . The highest purity Barium Fluoride VUV material can be qualified as fast scintillator grade.

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