Zerodur

Zerodur is used as a substrate material for precision optics in optical measurement systems due to its exceptional thermal properties. This material is ideal for applications with disturbing temperature fluctuations due to its extremely low thermal expansion coefficient. It is therefore used as an optical element in astronomical telescopes, precision measurement techniques and space missions.

Man-made glass ceramics such as Zerodur were discovered in the mid-1950s. It is an inorganic, non-porous material with a key property of low coefficient of thermal expansion and high thermal shock resistance, achieved by the distribution of crystalline structures in a glass matrix. When the temperature rises, the crystals contract while the glass matrix expands. It is thus a material that does not change shape or size with temperature changes, at least not within a limited temperature range.