Edmund Optics TechSpec Barium Fluoride (BaF₂) Windows

Edmund Optics introduces TechSpec Barium Fluoride (BaF₂) Windows. The windows are suitable for use in a wide variety of applications, including infrared (IR) spectroscopy, as they offer wide broadband transmission extending from the deep ultraviolet (UV) to the long-wave IR. They are available in four models with diameters from 5 to 50 mm.

With good transmission from 200 nm to 14 μm, the windows take advantage of barium fluoride’s low index of refraction (1.48), which provides high transmission without the need for antireflection (AR) coatings. The windows can be used at temperatures up to 800°C in a dry environment. They are said to be resistant to high-energy radiation and 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.