Overview
Suprasil® Plate – The Smart Way to High‑Performance Fused Silica Plates
Large-format, rectangular fused silica plates engineered for precision, stability, and an outstanding price‑performance ratio. Designed for demanding optical and high‑power laser applications.
Suprasil® SmartPlate is our latest innovation crafted through a cutting-edge production method, a new direct production route for plate geometry. This product, made from synthetic fused silica, with its OH content ranging up to ~150 ppm, is best suited for demanding laser applications at 1064 nm.
Why choose Suprasil® Plate?
Suprasil® sets the benchmark in synthetic fused silica for photonics. Decades of materials expertise and precision manufacturing deliver plate geometries that combine optical quality, homogeneity, and transmission for high‑end optics. The portfolio includes Suprasil® SmartPlate IR and Suprasil® ProPlate IR, each optimized for different performance priorities.
- Exceptional performance: Ideal for precise laser applications such as cutting and welding.
- Versatile sizes: Provides effective solutions for a wide range of geometries and applications, including large-size mirrors.
- Cost-effective: High quality at an economical price.
Heraeus Covantics leverages long‑standing fused silica expertise and controlled manufacturing processes to achieve consistent plate quality across geometry, stress performance, and inclusion control—delivering reliable, reproducible components for critical optics.
Key Features & Properties
Common to Suprasil® SmartPlate IR and ProPlate IR
- Large plate geometry with engineered thickness control for efficient utilization and stable mounting.
- High material purity & transmission from synthetic fused silica.
- Low stress‑induced birefringence target within CA (5 nm/cm).
- Low bubble/inclusion levels (≤ 6 in CA; < 0.1 mm not counted).
SmartPlate IR – Highlights
- OH content up to ~150 ppm, tailored for robust 1064‑nm operation.
- Very large clear aperture at nominal size: 1030 × 485 mm.
ProPlate IR – Highlights
- Optical homogeneity within CA: ≤ 5 ppm PV, for tight wavefront specs.
- OH content up to ~75 ppm for 1064‑nm laser use.
- Clear aperture at nominal size: 970 × 470 mm
Our innovative raw material approach ensures short lead times, high size flexibility, and an attractive total cost of ownership – a smart solution for industrial high-performance optics.
Optical Properties
Its very low absorption and high resistance to power density improve the performance of optical components.
Physical properties
With its large size Suprasil® SmartPlate offers effective solutions for a wide range of geometries and applications.
Thanks to its high optical homogeneity, Suprasil® ProPlate delivers uniformly reliable performance.
Possible Applications
Thanks to an improved manufacturing process, the Suprasil® SmartPlate features an optimized thickness-to-area ratio for size flexibility, tailored for optics in:
- High‑power industrial laser optics (cutting, welding, materials processing)
- Large‑format laser mirrors and substrates
- NIR optical assemblies operating around 1064 nm
- Precision optics for research and metrology demanding uniform material properties
- Medical and scientific laser systems requiring stable fused silica performance
