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Sapphire Tubes, Rods & Pins 

Sapphire Pins
Sapphire plugged tubes (NMR)
Long Sapphire Tubes
sapphire as-grown “un-machined” surfaces

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
2200 Knoop perpendicular 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

 

Related Resources

 Sapphire Tubes Rods
 Sapphire Material Properties