CASIX Introduces alpha-BBO Crystals for Precision Optics; Used for High Power and UV Polarizer Applications

FUZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2006--CASIX, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high quality crystal and precision optics products, announced the introduction of its alpha-BBO (a-BBO) crystals. Because of their unique UV transparency, good mechanical properties and high damage threshold, a-BBO crystals can be fabricated into many kinds of fine optical components, such as prisms, optical isolators, beam displacers and other components requiring high power and a UV polarizer.

CASIX's a-BBO crystals have a large birefringent coefficient and wide transmission window range from 189 nanometers to 3500 nanometers. Their high chemical stability, lower inner stress, medium hardness and UV transparency make them an excellent crystal replacement for calcite, YVO(4), TiO(2), LiNbO(3) and other such components. Compared with natural calcite crystals, whose practical applications are often limited due to their lack of optical homogeneity, small size and cleavability, a-BBO crystals have high optical quality and can reach a size of theta (70 tilde 75) x (25 tilde 35) mm(3).

Specifications for alpha-BBO polarizers:
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Surface Quality               20/10 Scratch and Dig
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Beam Deviation                less than 3 arc min.
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Optical Axis Orientation      +/-0.5 degrees
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Flatness                      lambda/4@632.8 nm
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Transmission Wavefront        
Distortion                    less than lambda/2@632.8 nm
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AR-coating                    R less than 0.5%
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Crystal dimensions:
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diameter                      70 tilde 80 mm
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length                        25 tilde 40 mm
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weight                        400 tilde 650 g
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About CASIX, Inc., a Fabrinet Company

CASIX, founded in 1992 and acquired in May 2005 by Fabrinet, an engineering and electromechanical manufacturing services company, is located in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China. The company is committed to providing the highest quality crystal and precision optics products for communications, medical, imaging and semiconductor markets at extremely competitive prices. CASIX's crystal products include laser crystals, nonlinear crystals, birefringent crystals and diode pumped microchip (DPM) crystal assemblies for commercial laser systems, instrument systems and diode pumped solid state (DPSS) laser module applications. The company's precision optics capabilities include custom optics for market applications in DVD optical pickups, surveying instruments, instrumentation, semiconductor equipment, medical instruments and telecom optical systems, plus display optics with advanced optical performance for projection displays and liquid crystal display (LCD) projection applications. CASIX is ISO 9001 certified. For more information, contact CASIX at marketing@casix.com, 86 591 83620115, 86 591 83627334, or visit the CASIX website at www.casix.com.