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Optical Blocking Materials and Performance

Many detectors used for high resolution imaging of X-ray sources, especially astronomical sources, are also sensitive to UV and visible light.  This sensitivity to visible light provides a requirement for optical blocking filters that still display a good X-ray bandpass.

Typically an aluminum coating is the light blocking layer.   Aluminum can be supplied on mesh or as a layer on thin polyimide films.  A standard aluminum filter (1500Å on mesh) will have a visible light transmittance in the low 10-8 range.

Luxel can help predict visible light blocking characteristics of any special filter by consulting our extensive database of measurements made with our very sensitive photometer1.

We manufacture the standard filters listed below.  The expected visible light transmittance is given in the table.  Combinations of the materials or custom filter specifications can be designed to provide maximum X-ray throughput with minimum visible light transmittance.

Standard materials:

COMPOSITION THICKNESS MAX. VISIBLE TRANSMITTANCE
Aluminum 1500Å 5 x 10-8
Aluminum/Carbon 1500Å / 270Å 5 x 10-8
Aluminum/Titanium 1500Å / 270Å 5 x 10-8
Carbon 1200Å 5 x 10-2
Lexan® (polycarbonate) 1300Å, or to specs transparent
Polyimide 1100Å, or to specs 9 x 10-1
Boron 1200Å 5 x 10-1
Silicon 1200Å 5 x 10-1
Niobium 1500Å 5 x 10-5
Tin 1600Å 5 x 10-7
Indium 1600Å 5 x 10-7
Palladium 1500Å 5 x 10-6
Zirconium 1500Å 5 x 10-5
Custom to meet specifications

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1Forbes R. Powell and James R. Fox, "Transmittance measurements for a variety of X-ray/EUV filter materials and pinhole leak measurements utilizing a new visible light photometer system" in Multilayer and Grazing Incidence X-ray/EUV Optics II, Richard B. Hoover and Arthur B.C. Walker Jr., eds, Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 2011, 1993

02/13/2004

   
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