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Iron-Chromium Foil (Light Tight) (Fe85-Cr15)
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
Key Features
Iron/Chromium Foil (Light Tight) (Fe85/Cr15) is a pinhole-free certified iron-chromium alloy foil combining the corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, and oxidation stability of the Fe85/Cr15 composition with guaranteed through-thickness optical barrier integrity:
Pinhole-Free Certification
Each batch is tested and certified clear of through-thickness defects, ensuring reliable complete optical isolation in sensitive optical experiments, photonic device housings, and light-sensitive detector systems where stray light admission would cause measurement errors or signal contamination.
Good Corrosion Resistance from Chromium Passive Film
The 15% chromium content provides good resistance to atmospheric corrosion and mild chemical exposure through formation of a stable Cr₂O₃ passive film, supporting long-term barrier integrity of the light-tight foil in instrument enclosures without the surface degradation that would open optical leak paths in unpassivated iron foils.
Good Mechanical Strength and Structural Integrity
The Fe85/Cr15 composition provides good tensile strength for a ferritic iron-chromium alloy, allowing the light-tight foil to withstand mechanical handling, integration into enclosure assemblies, and layering operations without risk of tearing or developing through-thickness defects.
Ferromagnetic Character
The composition retains ferromagnetic character, qualifying this light-tight foil for applications requiring simultaneous magnetic shielding and optical isolation, or for instrument enclosures where magnetically actuated shutter or aperture elements must additionally provide certified light exclusion.
Formability for Complex Optical Enclosure Geometries
Good cold formability allows the foil to be shaped, bent, and cut to match complex optical assembly and instrument enclosure geometries, maintaining continuous pinhole-free barrier integrity through forming operations without fracture or local thinning that would create optical leak sites.
Industrial Applications
Iron/Chromium Foil (Light Tight) (Fe85/Cr15) is used wherever pinhole-free optical barrier integrity must be combined with the corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, and ferromagnetic character of the Fe85/Cr15 composition:
- ✦ Protective Enclosures for Precision Optical Instruments
- Used for protective enclosures in precision optical instruments, where certified pinhole-free optical isolation, good corrosion resistance from the chromium passive film, and mechanical strength to form robust enclosure structures qualifies the Fe85/Cr15 light-tight foil over less corrosion-resistant alternatives.
- ✦ Optical Calibration Units and Photonic Device Housings
- Applied as optical calibration unit enclosures and photonic device housings in aerospace and precision instrumentation applications, where guaranteed light exclusion and structural integrity of the barrier foil are both required for reliable instrument calibration and device protection.
- ✦ Shielding in Light-Sensitive Detector Systems
- Used as shielding in light-sensitive detector systems including photodiode arrays and CCD detector assemblies, where pinhole-free certified optical isolation prevents the photon flux from the environment reaching the detector active area and generating dark current or noise artefacts.
- ✦ Light-Tight Elements in Spectroscopy and Microscopy Assemblies
- Applied as light-tight elements in spectroscopy and microscopy assemblies, where the corrosion resistance and formability of the Fe85/Cr15 alloy allow integration into instrument enclosures while maintaining certified optical barrier continuity.
- ✦ Photodiode Testing and Optical Filter Calibration Research
- Provides certified barrier foil for photodiode testing, optical filter calibration, and shielding in spectroscopy setups, where guaranteed optical isolation ensures reproducible background exclusion across repeated experimental sessions.
Tolerances
| Thickness | <0.01mm | ±25% |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.01mm - 0.05mm | ±15% |
| Thickness | >0.05mm | ±10% |
| Linear dimension | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Linear dimension | >=100mm | +2 / -1% |