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Sapphire Tubes, Rods & Pins
Saint-Gobain offers a full range of Sapphire tubes, pins & rods to meet a wide variety of demanding applications.
Our Sapphire tubes are used as a superior alternative to quartz, alumina, and silicon carbide in semiconductor processing applications. In addition, our Sapphire tubes are used in various analytical instruments in lamp applications that transmit visible, infrared or ultraviolet light, often with high intensity at high temperatures and pressures. Potentially Sapphire tubes could be used as capillary needles for laser medicine as discussed in this Journal of Biomedical Optics article.
Uses/Applications
Semiconductor Processing
(HPD CVD, PECVD, Dry Etch, Wet Etch)
- Plasma containment tubes
- Plasma applicator tube
- Process gas injector nozzles
- Thermocouple protection sheath (Thermowell)
- Water treatment / cleaning
- Lift pins
- Endpoint detector
- Excimer Corona Tubes
Test and Analytical
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR)
- Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
- Thermo-optic temperature measurement
- Inline petroleum processing analysis
- Mass spectroscopy
- Biological and chemical sample analysis
- Plugged tubes
- Test tubes
Lamps and Lamp Envelopes
- Electronic Infra-Red countermeasures
- Ultraviolet sterilization
- Flashlamps
- High-intensity lamps
Features/Benefits
- Single (Al2O3) crystal, highest purity possible, no grain boundaries
- Minimal to no particle contamination
- High melting point, 2053oC
- Hardness next to diamond on Mohs Scale of Hardness: extremely scratch-resistant
- Chemically inert (non-reactive in most process environments)
- Superior rigidity (435 Gpa, 6x stiffer than quartz)
- Transparent - transmits UV - visible - IR wavelengths
- Radiolucent
- Can be made in complex shapes
Tubes |
||
|---|---|---|
| Outer Diameter Range | Standard Wall Thickness | MAX Part Length |
| .060 - .090" (1.524x2.286mm) | .010 - .025 (.254x0.635mm) | 10" (254mm) |
| .091 - .275 (2.311x6.985mm) | .025 - .040 (.635x1.016mm) | 60" (1524mm) |
| .276 - .750" (7.01x19.05mm) | .030 - .060" (.762x1.524mm) | 60" (1524mm) |
| .751 - 1.250" (19.075x31.75mm) | .050 - .090" (1.27x2.286mm) | 60" (1524mm) |
| 1.260 -1.750" (32.004x44.45mm) | .060 - .090" (1.524x2.286mm) | 25" (635mm) |
Rods/Pins |
||
| Diameter Range | MAX Part Length | |
| .050 - .125" (1.27x3.175mm) | 12" (304.8mm) | |
| .125 - .290" (3.175x7.366mm) | 18" (457.2mm) |
Physical/Mechanical
| Properties | Value |
|---|---|
| Density | 3.97 gm/cm3 (0.143 lb/in3) (25°C) |
| Young’s Modulus | 435 GPa (63 x 106 psi) parallel to C-axis (25°C) 386 GPa (56 x 106 psi) parallel to C-axis (1000°C) |
| Modulus of Rigidity (Shear Modulus) | 175 GPa (26 x 106 psi) |
| Flexural Strength | 1035 MPa (150 kpsi) parallel to C-axis (25°) 760 MPa (110 kpsi) perpendicular to C-axis (25°) |
| Compressive Strength | ≈2 GPa (300 kpsi) (25°) |
| Hardness |
9 Mohs scale (between 20° and 25°C) 1900 Knoop parallel to C-axis |
Optical
| Properties | Value |
|---|---|
| Transmission | UV through midwave IR (~200-5000nm) |
| Uniaxial Negative Refractive Index | Ordinary ray (C-axis) No = 1.768 Extraordinary ray Ne-1.760 Birefringence: 0.008 |
| Temperature Coefficient of Refractive Index | 13 X 10-6/°C (visible range) |
| Spectral Emittance | 0.1 (1600°C) |
| Spectral Absorption | 0.1 – 0.2cm-1 (0.66 μm, 1600°C) |
Thermal
| Properties | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting Point | 2053°C (3727°F) |
| Specific Heat | 0.181 cal/gm°K (25°C) 0.300 cal/gm°K (1000°C) |
| Thermal Conductivity | 0.4 watts/cm°K (25°C) 0.1 watts/cm°K (1000°C) |
| Thermal Expansion Coefficient | (25 – 1000°C) 8.8 x 10-6; parallel to C-axis 7.9 x 10-6; perpendicular to C-axis |