Edmund Optics has introduced its Techspec barium fluoride (BaF2) windows for use in applications such as infrared spectroscopy. The windows offer wide broadband transmission extending from the deep ultraviolet to the long-wave infrared.
With transmission from 200nm to 14μm, the BaF2 windows take advantage of barium fluoride's low index of refraction (1.48), which provides high transmission without the need for anti-reflection (AR) coatings. The windows can be used at temperatures up to 800°C, and are made from resistant optical fluoride to give high energy radiation. They feature a Knoop hardness of 82.
Barium fluoride is a very fast scintillator for the detection of X-rays, gamma rays, and other high energy particles, such as 511 keV gamma photons in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). It is also used to detect high-energy (10-150 MeV) neutrons and separate them from simultaneously occurring gamma photons using pulse shape discrimination techniques.
The windows are available in four models with diameters from 5mm to 50mm.