Infrared materials can be (mono)crystalline, glasses, semiconductors or metals. Some typical materials used for infrared optics are described in the following:
Fused silica (SiO2) is an excellent optical material, usable up to roughly 3 μm wavelength, but depending on contained impurities with substantial absorption bands, e.g. around 2.2 μm and 2.7 μm from OH content. Crystalline quartz (also chemically SiO2) is similar.
Some other materials, which are common for optics indivisible spectral range, are also suitable for the near infrared – for example, glasses like BK7 (a borosilicate crown glass).
Sapphire is one of the hardest and most durable optical materials (but difficult to process) and is transparent from the UV up to about 6 μm. It also exhibits an excellent thermal conductivity.
There are many infrared materials, which differ greatly in various respects.
Various fluorides such as calcium fluoride (CaF2), barium fluoride (BaF2), magnesium fluoride (MgF2) and lithium fluoride (LiF) are quite common as crystalline materials and partly also for dielectric coatings. For example, MgF2 is often used for anti-reflection coatings. Fluorides generally offer a wide transparency range from the near ultraviolet to the mid infrared. There are also fluoride glasses, e.g. fluorozirconate, fluoroaluminate and fluoroindate glasses.
Quite wide transparency ranges are also obtained with some selenides like zinc selenide (ZnSe) and zinc sulfide (ZnS); these robust materials are often applied for CO2 laser optics. They are also available as rare-earth-doped laser gain media, particularly with chromium doping. There are also tellurides, particularly cadmium telluride (CdTe) for use at 12 μm to 25 μm.
Cesium bromide (CsBr) and cesium iodide (CsI) are also suitable for application at very long wavelengths (the latter even up to about 40 μm). Potassium chloride (KCl) has a particularly broad usable wavelength range from the UV to the mid infrared (about 0.3 μm to 21 μm). Sodium chloride (NaCl) is more durable but very fragile. Such ionic substances are soluble in water and strongly hygroscopic.
Further, there are some chalcogenide glasses containing substances like sulfur, selenium, arsenic, germanium and silver. They are typically sold under certain trade names, not specifying the exact chemical composition. Such glasses can be used in glass molding processes.
Semiconductors like silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide, which are completely opaque in the visible region, exhibit good infrared transparency. They have rather high refractive indexes.
Various metals can be used for reflecting coatings of infrared mirrors, namely copper, aluminum, silver, gold and stainless steel, as well as various metal alloys such as chrome–nickel. They are normally made as first surface mirrors.
It is important to have a wide range of such materials, since various properties need to be considered for applications:
Beginning with the most essential optical properties, the transmission wavelength bands are quite different, often excluding a whole range of materials for a certain application. The materials also have very different values of refractive index and chromatic dispersion. Many infrared materials exhibit quite strong optical nonlinearities.
The possibility of getting of broadband anti-reflection coatings depends on refractive indices and the availability of suitable coating materials.
Some materials have very high thermal expansion coefficients and thermo-optic coefficients (e.g.
), which in combination with residual absorption can lead to strong thermo-optic effects such as thermal lensing.
There are big differences concerning mechanical robustness: some products are extremely fragile or quite soft, while others are robust and durable. Different optical fabrication techniques are required for cutting and surface finishing, and the results in terms of practically achievable surface quality (e.g. scratch–dig specifications) also differ significantly.
Some materials are quite hygroscopic and can thus be used only in humidity-free environments.
Some infrared materials (often those for the longest wavelengths) contain highly toxic substances such as thallium and cadmium, which is also a problem in the context of ROHS conformity, while others are not creating any environmental hazards.
Unfortunately, some of the materials used for infrared optics are quite toxic. Examples are cadmium tellurite, lead telluride, and various arsenic compounds. During use of the optics, this is normally not a hazard, since the toxic substances are firmly bound in the material. However, they can be problematic when devices are not properly disposed after the end of their use cycle.
Note that there are not only infrared bulk optics, but also mid-infrared fibers, e.g. fluoride fibers.