materials
ULE Glass (Corning)
Unlike Zerodur, ULE is clear when polished, and it has both a higher working temperature, and it yields minimum Brownian noise, making it an industry standard for aerospace mirrors and laser applications such as Fabry Perot cavities.
7.0
Relative Cost of Material
5.0
Machining Degree of Difficulty
Summary
Corning’s ULE (Ultra Low Expansion) Glass is, as its name suggests, another optical material best known for its near-zero CTE properties. Unlike Zerodur, ULE is clear when polished, and it has both a higher working temperature and yields minimum Brownian noise, making it an industry standard for aerospace mirrors and laser applications such as Fabry Perot cavities. It has a higher maximum working temperature than Zerodur, but also a higher helium leak rate, making ULE fit into a slightly different niche than the equivalent product from Schott.
Mindrum Precision has extensive experience manufacturing a massive number of ULE components for a variety of applications and industries, including everything from machining complex lightweighted mirrors and precision optical components, to being one of the leading providers of custom Fabry Perot cavities in the world. Our history of producing some of the tightest tolerance components in ULE allow us to both produce some of the most difficult parts on the market, and minimize scrap while providing the highest quality work product. Click here for our contact information or to request a quote, and we will show you why more engineers are trusting us with their mission-critical needs.
Applications
ULE is a frequently used material in the aerospace, defense, and research industries, and it has been used in a large number of high-profile projects, such as in the mirrors of both the Hubble and Gemini telescopes. It is one of the premier materials used in optical cavities and precision measurement applications, as well as a large number of other CTE-sensitive applications.
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Properties
| Material Property | ULE Glass (Corning) |
|---|---|
| Density (g/cm^3) | 2.2 |
| Hardness (Knoop) | 460 |
| Tensile Strength (MPa) | 50 |
| Modulus of Elasticity (GPa) | 68 |
| Poisson's Ratio | .17 |
| Dielectric Constant (@1MHz) | 4 |
| Volume Resistivity (ohm-cm @25°C) | 1.0E11 |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (1 x 10^-6/°C) | 0.00 +/- 0.03 |
| Thermal Conductivity (W/m K) | 1.31 |
| Specific Heat (J/kg*K) | 753.12 |
| Maximum Working Temperature (°C) | 800 |
| Index of Refraction | 1.48 |
| *Note: Properties vary by manufacturer. The above information should be used for general reference purposes only. |
related Materials
- Zerodur – Schott’s near-zero CTE, yellow-tinted glass ceramic. The industry standard in this category.
- Fused Quartz – A high-purity material with good optical and mechanical properties, and relatively low CTE.
- Fused Silica – An extremely high-purity synthetic version of fused quartz, with good mechanical properties and low CTE.
