Compared with traditional mirror materials, HuaCera^® sintered silicon carbide has superior mechanical properties, thermal properties, and optical processing performance. It enables ultra-lightweight design and can construct integrated internal cooling structures, surpassing beryllium, aluminum, glass, and other types of silicon carbide (such as reaction bonded silicon carbide and aluminum bonded silicon carbide), providing a new technical path for high thermal load optical systems.

The key to determining the characteristics of silicon carbide materials lies in their microstructure. Our silicon carbide ceramic materials are carefully developed and designed, with a density >3.15g/cc, fine and uniform grains, and an average grain size <10um.

HuaCera^® silicon carbide features high stiffness and strength, excellent thermal performance, and geometric dimensional thermal stability, especially stability in low-temperature environments, while avoiding the health hazards associated with traditional mirror material beryllium. These outstanding characteristics make HuaCera^® silicon carbide an ideal choice for industrial, space, airborne, and ground optoelectronic applications, manufacturing high-performance lightweight mirrors, structural parts, prisms, and substrates for optical imaging, infrared imaging, laser targeting, and laser communication applications.

Comparison of specific stiffness and thermal stability of commonly used mirror materials

Our Capabilities

• After fine grinding and polishing, HuaCera^® SiC mirror blanks can achieve a surface roughness of <1nm (RMS); in some applications (e.g., <1/20λ), no surface modification is required to meet optical application requirements.
• Manufacture light-weighted SiC mirrors with diameters ranging from 50mm to 800mm. Light-weighted thickness can be as thin as 2mm.
• From prototypes to small batch production, manufacture integrated silicon carbide components.
• SiC/SiC or SiC/metal assemblies can be made into complex shapes; mastering various assembly technologies: ceramic welding, epoxy resin bonding, bolt connection.
• Custom production of various shape of silicon carbide mirror blanks according to customer requirements, and can also provide finished mirrors with surface modification and coatings upon customer request.

Our Success Stories

Light-weighted optical mirrors made with HuaCera^® silicon carbide substrates have been used on multiple space satellites:

• XIHE- China's first solar probe scientific and technological experimental satellite
• TAJI-1 - China's first space gravitational wave detection technology experimental satellite
• GUANGMU - Earth science satellite, also known as "Sustainable Development Science Satellite 1"
• Others - To date, Huashuo Advanced Ceramics has served multiple satellites, providing hundreds of sets of silicon carbide mirror blanks, mirrors, structural parts, and substrates for satellites.

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