Silicon Optics

Silicon (Si) is a highly durable optical material with exceptional infrared transmission properties.

It has a unique combination of properties that make it an ideal material for fabricating components for infrared optics and for various applications in optoelectronics.

Lattice Materials specializes in silicon optical components, including silicon lenses, mirrors, and windows, manufactured to your specific requirements.

Our in-house crystal growth capabilities enable us to manufacture any resistivity you require and provide you with Just-in-Time delivery on blanket orders.

High-Quality Silicon for Infrared Optics

There are many benefits of using high-quality silicon for infrared optics:

Strength & durability: Silicon is an exceptionally strong and hard material. It is a suitable substrate for optical systems and photonic chips that must maintain performance in harsh or demanding environments.
High transparency: Silicon has excellent transparency in the infrared spectrum, particularly in the MWIR range. This enables efficient infrared light transmission, so that silicon optical systems can deliver visual acuity and high-resolution imaging.
Thermal stability: Silicon has excellent thermal stability, allowing it to maintain its optical performance over a wide temperature range. This stability is crucial in applications where the optical components are exposed to high temperatures or thermal variations.

At Lattice Materials, we provide high-quality, US-made silicon crystals for use in lightweight imaging and sensing systems in highly demanding defense and aerospace applications.

Atomic Weight: 28.086

Density, g/cm³: 2.329

Boiling point ℃: 2878

Melting point ℃: 1412

Moh’s Hardness: 7

Do you have a custom requirement for silicon optics? Send us your requirements, and our technical sales representatives will analyze what is needed to deliver custom-fabricated silicon optics within your desired lead time.

Customizable Silicon Properties

Silicon is a versatile material amenable to advanced fabrication techniques.

At Lattice Materials, we specialize in manufacturing silicon optics in specific shapes, with custom specifications tailored to meet your needs.

Silicon can be fabricated into intricate shapes and features and is precisely engineered for complex imaging systems.
We can manufacture silicon optics in unique geometries optimized to fulfill optical functions in highly demanding applications.
Another aspect of the customizable nature of silicon is that its surface can be coated with a range of thin films or coatings to enhance its optical properties. For example, antireflection coatings can reduce the reflectivity of silicon lenses, mirrors or windows to create silicon optics with tailored characteristics.
The unique properties of high-quality silicon, such as its refractive index and infrared transmission properties, enable us to create optical devices with enhanced light manipulation capabilities or compatibility with specific wavelength ranges.

For example, the Mach-Zehnder interferometer takes advantage of the unique properties of silicon, such as its high refractive index and compatibility with CMOS technology. It can be integrated with other silicon photonic systems and used in various applications like optical communications, data processing and optical sensing systems.

Silicon: At the Cusp of Futuristic Technology

Silicon is truly the material of the future!

Due to its unique properties, capacity for miniaturization, and high performance, silicon is ideal for a new era of futuristic technologies.

Highly reliable and durable, silicon components are ideal for advanced unmanned systems and supersonic devices that must operate under demanding conditions and withstand exposure to vibration, shock, and temperature extremes.
Lightweight and compact, with high integration capabilities, silicon parts help make unmanned systems more agile, efficient, and capable.
Silicon components are critical for navigation, control, and situational awareness in unmanned systems.
Silicon photonic devices based on waveguides, optical modulators, and photodetectors are vital for high-speed data transfer and optical communication in spacecraft or supersonic vehicles.

At Lattice Materials, we support the aerospace and semiconductor industries with our repeatable machining processes and expert handling of silicon parts.

Silicon Optics

High-Quality Silicon for Infrared Optics

Customizable Silicon Properties

Silicon: At the Cusp of Futuristic Technology

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