{"id":86,"date":"2026-02-06T07:46:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T07:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jundro.com\/?p=86"},"modified":"2026-04-07T06:17:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:17:56","slug":"clearceram-vs-zerodur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jundro.com\/de\/clearceram-vs-zerodur\/","title":{"rendered":"Clearceram vs Zerodur: A Complete Comparison for Precision Optical Applications"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Both materials are highly stable, low thermal expansion glass-ceramic materials. Due to their excellent mechanical properties, they are frequently used in high-tech industries, such as astronomical telescope lenses, space exploration structural components, high-precision instruments, etc., which are equipment that is sensitive to temperature changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is low expansion glass?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Low thermal expansion (CTE) refers to a material’s minimal change in thermal expansion when temperature fluctuates. This characteristic gives it strong resistance to thermal shock, a major cause of material cracking in practical applications. The most well-known low-expansion glass materials are undoubtedly Schott Zerodur<\/a> and Corning ULE<\/a>, both possessing near-zero CTE. Below are some common low-expansion glass materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Material<\/th>CTE (\u00d710\u207b\u2076\/K)<\/th>Transparency<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Zerodur<\/td>~0 \u00b10.02<\/td>Slight yellow tint<\/td><\/tr>
ULE<\/td>~0 \u00b10.03<\/td>Transparent<\/td><\/tr>
Clearceram<\/td>~0 \u00b10.01<\/td>High transparency<\/td><\/tr>
Fused Quartz<\/td>~0.5<\/td>High transparency<\/td><\/tr>
Borosilicate (BF33)<\/td>~3.3<\/td>Transparent<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Clearceram vs Zerodur<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From the table above, it’s easy to see that Clearceram glass offers higher transparency, making it more suitable for optical applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zerodur, on the other hand, boasts better structural rigidity, making it more suitable for mirrors. Furthermore, the following case study demonstrates that Clearceram-Z exhibits excellent performance in high-precision optical systems requiring extremely high thermal stability. Meanwhile, Zerodur’s higher flexural strength gives it an advantage in aerospace mirrors subjected to high mechanical stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Case Studies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Telescope Mirror Stability Testing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Source:<\/strong> Dimensional stability study (referenced via PubMed<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methodology:<\/strong>
Mirror substrates made from Zerodur and Clearceram-Z were subjected to thermal cycling between \u201340\u00b0C and +90\u00b0C<\/strong> to evaluate dimensional stability under extreme temperature variations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Results:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n