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Niobium Foil (Light Tight)
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Thickness | Size | Temper ⓘ |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0025 mm to 6 mm | 10 x 10 mm to 300 x 500 mm | As rolled Annealed |
Need custom configurations? Please contact us.
Key Features
Niobium Foil (Light Tight) is a pinhole-free certified refractory metal foil combining niobium’s superconductivity below 9.3 K, cryogenic stability, and high-vacuum compatibility with guaranteed through-thickness optical barrier integrity:
Pinhole-Free Certification for Cryogenic Optical Isolation
Each batch is tested and certified clear of through-thickness defects, ensuring reliable optical isolation in cryogenic instruments and superconducting device assemblies where stray light admission would generate heat load on the cryogenic stage or photon-induced quasiparticle excitations in superconducting elements.
Superconductivity Below 9.3 K
The certified light-tight foil retains niobium’s superconducting transition at 9.3 K, allowing it to serve simultaneously as an optical barrier and a superconducting structural element in cryogenic instrument assemblies operating below the critical temperature.
Cryogenic Thermal and Chemical Stability
High melting point, low thermal contraction, and chemical stability at cryogenic temperatures support use as a vacuum-sealing and optical barrier element in liquid helium and liquid nitrogen cooled instrument assemblies, where the foil must maintain both barrier integrity and dimensional stability across large temperature excursions from room temperature to operating temperature.
High-Vacuum Compatibility and Low Outgassing
Niobium’s chemical stability and low outgassing at cryogenic and ultra-high-vacuum conditions support use of the light-tight foil as a vacuum barrier and optical isolation element in UHV instruments and particle accelerator components, where outgassing from the barrier material would degrade vacuum quality.
Corrosion Resistance at Low Temperatures
Good corrosion resistance of niobium at cryogenic temperatures maintains barrier surface integrity in superconducting devices and cryogenic vacuum systems, where surface degradation of the light-tight element would create optical leak paths that would compromise cryogenic instrument performance.
Industrial Applications
Niobium Foil (Light Tight) is used wherever pinhole-free optical barrier integrity must be combined with cryogenic stability, superconducting capability, and ultra-high-vacuum compatibility:
- ✦ Optical Isolation in Cryogenic Superconducting Device Assemblies
- Used for optical isolation in cryogenic superconducting device assemblies including quantum computing hardware and single-photon detector housings, where certified optical barrier integrity prevents stray photons from generating quasiparticle excitations in superconducting elements and degrading device performance.
- ✦ Vacuum Sealing and Optical Barrier in Particle Accelerator Components
- Applied as vacuum sealing and optical barrier elements in particle accelerator components and superconducting magnet assemblies, where the combined requirements of UHV compatibility, cryogenic stability, and certified optical isolation are simultaneously imposed on the same barrier foil element.
- ✦ Optical Shielding in Quantum Computing Research Apparatus
- Used for optical shielding in quantum computing research apparatus, where the certified light-tight barrier prevents infrared photon loading on the cryogenic stages of dilution refrigerators used in qubit research, and where niobium’s own superconducting character supports its integration into the superconducting device environment.
- ✦ Cryogenic Shielding and Vacuum Chamber Barrier Elements
- Applied as cryogenic shielding and vacuum chamber barrier elements in materials science instruments and condensed matter physics apparatus, where the certified optical isolation and cryogenic thermal stability of the niobium foil maintain experimental fidelity in photon-sensitive cryogenic measurements.
- ✦ Cryogenic Optical Isolation, Superconducting Device Integration and UHV Barrier Research
- Provides certified barrier foil for research into cryogenic optical isolation strategies, integration of light-tight barriers into superconducting device assemblies, and characterization of metallic foil barrier integrity under repeated thermal cycling from room temperature to liquid helium operating temperature.
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 41 |
| Crystal structure | Body centred cubic |
| Electronic structure | Kr 4d⁴ 5s¹ |
| Valences shown | 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Atomic weight( amu ) | 92.9064 |
| Thermal neutron absorption cross-section( Barns ) | 1.15 |
| Photo-electric work function( eV ) | 4.3 |
| Atomic radius - Goldschmidt( nm ) | 0.147 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 3/ 25.0 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 2/ 14.3 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 6/ 103 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 1/ 6.88 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 4/ 38.3 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 5/ 50.5 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Material condition | Hard |
| Material condition | Soft |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.397 |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.397 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 170.3 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 170.3 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 104.9 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 104.9 |
| Izod toughness( J m⁻¹ ) | 10-120 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 115 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 160 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 330 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 585 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 550 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 240 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 16@20°C |
| Superconductivity critical temperature( K ) | 9.25 |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.0026@0-100°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Boiling point( C ) | 4742 |
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 8.57@20°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 2468 |
| Latent heat of evaporation( J g⁻¹ ) | 7360 |
| Latent heat of fusion( J g⁻¹ ) | 290 |
| Specific heat( J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ) | 268@25°C |
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 53.7@0-100°C |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 7.2@0-100°C |
Tolerances
| Thickness | <0.01mm | ±25% |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.01mm - 0.05mm | ±15% |
| Thickness | >0.05mm | ±10% |
| Linear dimension | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Linear dimension | >=100mm | +2 / -1% |