Space environment is very harsh for optical systems. Currently available optical materials for space applications are susceptible to surface and bulk damage due to high-speed impacts from dust and debris found in the space environment. Impacts lead to surface pitting and fracturing that may compromise structural integrity and degrade the optical performance of imaging systems. We are developing polycrystalline spinel as a rugged optics material. With its 3x hardness and 5x strength, as compared to BK7 glass, spinel is a very promising optical material for space imaging applications. Spinel’s broad transmission from 160 nm to 5000 nm will also enable multispectral imaging from ultraviolet to midwave infrared.

Date Published: 17 May 2016
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9822, Advanced Optics for Defense Applications: UV through LWIR, 982204 (17 May 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2224144

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9822:
Advanced Optics for Defense Applications: UV through LWIR
Jay N. Vizgaitis; Bjørn F. Andresen; Peter L. Marasco; Jasbinder S. Sanghera; Miguel P. Snyder, Editor(s)