COPPER MIRRORS
CO2 lasers rely on Copper mirrors as beam delivery optics for laser cutting, laser engraving, and laser welding. Other applications use infrared mirrors, and copper mirrors are the most common laser mirror for high energy or broadband infrared applications. High thermal conductivity, high heat capacity, and when freshly polished, uncoated Copper mirror surfaces have a high natural reflectivity for infra red too.
Because polished copper reflector surfaces react with the atmosphere and lose reflectivity, most, but not all cavity mirrors and beam delivery mirrors, are generally used with a coating, to improve reflectivity, durability, or alter polarisation on reflection. We offer several metal mirror optical coatings,
Electroplated Gold coated Copper mirrors
MaxR zero phase shift Copper mirrors for CO2 laser
L/4 reflective phase retarder mirror for CO2 laser
Protected silver coating for broad infrared reflectivity.
To improve the laser damage resistance, and reduce scatter, Copper mirrors have a thin intermediate layer of electroless nickel deposited. This gives an amorphous, non crystalline, surface of exceptional smoothness. Electroless Nickel plating also protects the whole of the mirror from oxidation, and prevents contamination of, or reaction with, the lasing gas, such as in sealed slab discharge resonators.
Laser Beam Products' Copper mirrors are chemically polished, the surfaces are super smooth, and are free of imperfections from turning lines, fly cutting arcs, and diffractive patterns that are common on diamond turned optics. This gives a high laser induced damage resistance, & a super-smooth, low scatter mirror surface.
Finally, our proprietary stress relieving and heat treatment, gives long term stability and performance, across a wide range of operating temperatures.
For the highest laser powers, and for maximum stability, internal water cooling channels can be machined into the Copper mirror itself.
As Copper is readily machinable, we offer a huge range of mirror shapes and sizes, such as prisms, axicons, rectangular or square mirrors, chopper wheels, knife edge mirrors and shutter mirrors. By engineering in features such as dowel holes, tapped and helicoiled holes, or flanges, a well designed copper mirror can save costs in mounting, assembly, and laser alignment.
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