Navigation System Window Material--TUFTRAN

Infrared transmissive windows are currently used at the entrance apertures of many airborne reconnaissance or navigation systems.The window material must not significantly decrease the incoming signal or render the signal noisy, and it should be strong enough to resist dust and rain erosion encountered during high speed flight. Zinc Selenide (ZnSe) with its excellent transmission in the infrared is an ideal candidate for this application, however, ZnSe is a "soft" material (hardness = 110 knoop, flexural strength = 8000 psi) which does not effectively resist rain and dust erosion during high speed flight. Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) does not have the superior optical properties of zinc selenide, but it is a "harder" material making it much more capable of withstanding adverse environmental conditions.

Summary:

DESCRIPTION:
TUFTRAN infrared material consists of a polished ZnSe window over which a ZnS layer is chemically vapor deposited. This 1 mm thick layer of ZnS protects the ZnSe window and enhances the material's environmental durability making it better able to resist rain, dust, and dirt. TUFTRAN features the wide band (1-14 µm) imaging characteristics of zinc selenide and the mechanical robustness of zinc sulfide. The resulting material offers high hardness, excellent imaging characteristics, non-hygroscopicity, and ease of fabrication.

AVAILABLE FORMS:
TUFTRAN has been custom ordered in plates up to 24 inches in diameter. Blanks are fabricated according to customer specified surface area and zinc sulfide thickness. A minimum ZnS layer of about 1 mm is recommended

N/A, 185 New Boston Street, Woburn, MA 01801. Tel: 781-933-9243; Fax: 781-933-5142.