摘要:
The addition of a getter consisting essentially of reactive oxides of boron and silicon, to a melt of an alkali metal halide serves to overcome problems of unacceptable color, afterglow and hardness attributable to trace impurities present in the melt. These trace impurities are generally metals present in a concentration less than 1 part per million (ppm) parts of melt. An ingot melt-grown from charge stock treated with the getter provides high quality optical bodies such as light pipes, laser windows and scintillators. Specific problems characteristic of a scintillator ingot grown from a highly purified alkali metal halide "remelt", such as is obtained by crushing and melting portions of a melt-grown ingot, are overcome by adding to the remelt a portion of fresh powder stock in which the getter has been uniformly distributed.A process is taught for the Stockbarger growth of a scintillator ingot from a charge stock treated to include a getter consisting essentially of the combined reactive oxides of boron and silicon, comprising superheating a melt of treated charge stock for a period of time sufficient to react at least some of the reactive oxides with deleterious trace impurities present in the melt, and growing a scintillator ingot free from discoloration, afterglow or undue hardness due to the presence of the impurities.
摘要:
A hot-pressed optical body which is free from absorption bands due to carbon dioxide, water, hydroxyl ion and acid fluorides in the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared wavelength regions. Typically, the optical body is formed from a powder of an alkaline earth metal fluoride, alkali metal fluoride, or rare earth metal fluoride. One or more absorption bands due to a single impurity may be reduced or eliminated, or bands due to plural impurities may be reduced or eliminated sequentially, or simultaneously. The optical body is made by flowing a reactive, reducing gas, optionally, in combination with hydrogen fluoride gas, directly into the die cavity containing a pressable ionic fluoride powder, and either hot-pressing or extruding the powder.
摘要:
Large ultra-pure, prism-quality essentially single crystal boules and ingots of alkali metal chlorides and alkali metal bromides are grown by the methods of Kyropoulos and Stockbarger. Optically single crystals of these alkali metal halides are clear optical bodies free of haze throughout. A typical Kyropoulos grown boule of KBr of this invention is also absorption-free, and has cleavage or crystallographic planes which deviate from parallel by 1.degree. to 3.degree. per inch. By `absorption-free` is meant freedom of absorption at 7.2 microns (.mu.) due to nitrate, at 9.5-11 .mu. due to silicate, and at between 8 and 9 .mu. due to sulfate, which are the most difficult to control but as the term implies the bodies are also free of infrared absorption for impurities such as CO.sub.3.sup.-2, PO.sub.4.sup.-3, OH.sup.-, BO.sub.2.sup.-, SH.sup.-, CNO.sup.-, HCO.sub.3.sup.-, etc., which are easily avoided by use of good commercially available growth stock.A particular process for growth for either of the foregoing methods in a silica or quartz crucible, comprises growing an ultrapure ingot of KBr from a relatively impure melt containing silicate, sulfate, nitrate and nitrite ions, and includes maintaining the sodium content of the melt during growth to less than about 20 ppm (parts per million) and the barium content less than 10 ppm, adding barium bromide to the melt if necessary, and, contacting the melt with a trace of free bromine in a covered, but not air-tight, pot.
摘要:
The addition of a getter consisting essentially of reactive oxides of boron and silicon, to a melt of an alkali metal halide serves to overcome problems of unacceptable color, afterglow and hardness attributable to trace impurities present in the melt. These trace impurities are generally metals present in a concentration less than 1 part per million (ppm) parts of melt. An ingot melt-grown from charge stock treated with the getter provides high quality optical bodies such as light pipes, laser windows and scintillators. Specific problems characteristic of a scintillator ingot grown from a highly purified alkali metal halide "remelt", such as is obtained by crushing and melting portions of a melt-grown ingot, are overcome by adding to the remelt a portion of fresh powder stock in which the getter has been uniformly distributed.A process is taught for the Stockbarger growth of a scintillator ingot from a charge stock treated to include a getter consisting essentially of the combined reactive oxides of boron and silicon, comprising superheating a melt of treated charge stock for a period of time sufficient to react at least some of the reactive oxides with deleterious trace impurities present in the melt, and growing a scintillator ingot free from discoloration, afterglow or undue hardness due to the presence of the impurities.
摘要:
The addition of a getter consisting essentially of reactive oxides of boron and silicon, to a melt of an alkali metal halide serves to overcome problems of unacceptable color, afterglow and hardness attributable to trace impurities present in the melt. These trace impurities are generally metals present in a concentration less than 1 part per million (ppm) parts of melt. An ingot melt-grown from charge stock treated with the getter provides high quality optical bodies such as light pipes, laser windows and scintillators. Specific problems characteristic of a scintillator ingot grown from a highly purified alkali metal halide "remelt", such as is obtained by crushing and melting portions of a melt-grown ingot, are overcome by adding to the remelt a portion of fresh powder stock in which the getter has been uniformly distributed. A process is taught for the Stockbarger growth of a scintillator ingot from a charge stock treated to include a getter consisting essentially of the combined reactive oxides of boron and silicon, comprising superheating a melt of treated charge stock for a period of time sufficient to react at least some of the reactive oxides with deleterious trace impurities present in the melt, and growing a scintillator ingot free from discoloration, afterglow or undue hardness due to the presence of the impurities.
摘要:
A composition of matter transparent to infrared rays and shock resistant which is a directionally grown, polycrystalline solidified melt of a eutectic composition comprising at least two components wherein the ratio of the index of refraction of one to the other is within the range of 1.2 to 1.0, the directionally oriented, polycrystalline mass is grown in a controlled manner by adding heat to the melt and removing the same from the solids during the solidification step, the amount of heat being added to the melt and conducted through the solidified melt being 10.sup.3 to 10.sup.5 times the latent heat of fusion of the eutectic mixture.
摘要:
Large, doped crystal ingots are grown in a Stockbarger furnace from a melt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt using very slow oscillation (1 - 2 cycles per minute) of the ingot through a small arc of 5.degree. -20.degree. to produce an ingot having a more even distribution of dopant and an absence of open boundaries between macrocrystals within the ingot.
摘要:
A hot-pressed optical body is disclosed which is free from absorption bands due to carbon dioxide, water, hydroxyl ion and acid fluorides in the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared wavelength regions. Typically, the optical body is formed from a powder of an alkaline earth metal fluoride, alkali metal fluoride, or rare earth metal fluoride. One or more absorption bands due to a single impurity may be reduced or eliminated, or bands due to plural impurities may be reduced or eliminated sequentially, or simultaneously. The optical body is made by flowing a reactive, reducing gas, optionally, in combination with hydrogen fluoride gas, directly into the die cavity containing a pressable powder, and either hot-pressing or extruding the powder.
摘要:
The addition of a getter consisting essentially of reactive oxides of boron and silicon, to a melt of an alkali metal halide serves to overcome problems of unacceptable color, afterglow and hardness attributable to trace impurities present in the melt. These trace impurities are generally metals present in a concentration less than 1 part per million (ppm) parts of melt. An ingot melt-grown from charge stock treated with the getter provides high quality optical bodies such as light pipes, laser windows and scintillators. Specific problems characteristic of a scintillator ingot grown from a highly purified alkali metal halide "remelt", such as is obtained by crushing and melting portions of a melt-grown ingot, are overcome by adding to the remelt a portion of fresh powder stock in which the getter has been uniformly distributed.A process is taught for the Stockbarger growth of a scintillator ingot from a charge stock treated to include a getter consisting essentially of the combined reactive oxides of boron and silicon, comprising superheating a melt of treated charge stock for a period of time sufficient to react at least some of the reactive oxides with deleterious trace impurities present in the melt, and growing a scintillator ingot free from discoloration, afterglow or undue hardness due to the presence of the impurities.
摘要:
A process is disclosed for converting basic magnesium carbonate into pure hot-pressable magnesium fluoride such as is used for the hot-pressing of infra-red radiation transmitting optical bodies. The process includes contacting a slurry of basic magnesium carbonate with carbon dioxide to form enough magnesium bicarbonate or hydrates of magnesium carbonate, in situ, to alter the particles in the slurry. Carbonation of the slurry increases solubility of the solids by establishing an equilibrium relationship in solution between the unstable magnesium bicarbonate and hydrates of magnesium carbonate particles. When the carbonated slurry is contacted with a slight excess of hydrofluoric acid it precipitates solid particles of fine hydrous magnesium fluoride. Neutralization of excess hydrofluoric acid is effected with ammonium hydroxide. The solid particulate precipitate is dried and calcined to yield hot-pressable magnesium fluoride powder of exceptional purity and consistent quality.A hot-pressable magnesium fluoride powder has been prepared which has a specific and uniform refractive index, n.sub.D = 1.3850 at 20.degree. C; the powder is made up of primary particles the majority of which have an average particle diameter of greater than 5 .mu. (microns). These physical properties and a characteristic ill-defined X-ray diffraction pattern suggestive of an amorphous structure, allow the powder to be hot-pressed into an optical body without grinding the powder.