Umicore brochure
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Listen. Create. Deliver. Umicore Electro-Optic Materials

Discover our world Umicore Electro-Optic Materials To develop cutting-edge germanium-based material solutions for infrared optics and opto-electronic applications, that is the purpose of Umicore Electro-Optic Materials. Our main products include germanium compounds, substrates and lenses. Helping you explore the resources for tomorrow’s world, that is our reason for existing.

Customers are at the core of our thinking. We are recognised around the world for our innovative technology, as well as for the quality of our products and customer service. Both our business lines, optics and substrates, are world leaders in their field. And that is because our customers are at the very core of our thinking. Our expertise in specialty materials science, together with the research and development programmes undertaken in collaboration with customers and partners are key to developing ground-breaking new products. Constant development drives us – every day. Our in-house R&D...

1| Umicore’s germanium or GASIR®lenses with iDLCTM coating resist tough environments and prolong the lifetime of your infrared optical systems. Optics At the cutting edge of technology Our optics are used to create a safe and secure world At Umicore Optics we produce materials, coatings and components for thermal imaging, smart sensing and other infrared optics applications for use in safety devices, surveillance cameras, thermography and fire fighting equipment. We refine and grow high-purity germanium crystals of the purity level required for gamma-ray detection. Gamma-ray detection is...

We provide solutions adapted to your needs: from basic applications to custom-built optical solutions. Apart from the highest quality we also offer best value and reliability, making us a partner your organisation can work with to succeed. GASIR® try it out on new ideas. Our research team developed GASIR®, a ground-breaking mouldable chalcogenide glass, which allows for the production of high-volume infrared optics for thermal imaging and sensing applications in a very cost-effective way. We were granted the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation Award for GASIR®. “Umicore’s moulding of...

1| Calibration of lenses produced through single point diamond turning (SPDT) on a talysurf. 2| A GASIR®lens assembly and a GASIR®lens for use in thermal imaging. 3| Detailed view of the calibration of SPDT lenses. 4| Dashboard display of BMW’s night vision system. (Photo courtesy of BMW) 5| Detail of an infrared night vision camera. 6| The thermal imaging camera is installed in the front bumper and covers an area of 300 m in front of the vehicle. GASIR® makes night vision system for cars affordable. At the request of automotive safety specialist Autoliv, Umicore Electro-Optic Materials...

“Over the past year we have worked with Umicore on an automotive camera project. Our collaboration has involved transfer of unique technology and qualification of Umicore as a key supplier. The process has gone smoothly and I am confident that it will continue to do so. We maintain a close working relationship and productive communication that should allow for ongoing cooperation as new Revolutionary iDLCTM coating: one of the hardest on the market. Some optical systems have a hard life. They have to endure extreme environmental conditions and withstand the high-speed impact of sand, the...

“We are a long-term client of Umicore and thus far have never been disappointed in our relationship. Our supply-chain system works. We never had any major glitches. We have a lead time of about three weeks. The quality of the blanks is stable, the delivery is on time ... and we are happy.” Rikard Thunell, Manager Sourcing and Supply, FLIR FLIR Systems is world leader in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of thermal imaging and stabilised camera systems for a wide variety of thermography and imaging applications. Built to print applications deliver added value. Building innovative...

1| 90% of all satellites currently launched are powered by germanium based solar cells. Substrates All about sustainable energy 99% of our activities are geared towards energy generation and energy conservation At Umicore Substrates we produce state of the art semiconductor germanium substrates at high volume for photovoltaic (solar cells) and opto-electronic (LEDs) applications. A number of promising applications are still under development. These include germanium substrates for use in micro-electronics and energy recovery through thermo photovoltaic cells. To support these up and coming...

1| To ensure optimum quality, at the end all germanium wafers are inspected by a trained operator. 2| Germanium substrates for solar cells. 3| Concentrator photovoltaic cells mounted on a copper plate. Recapturing energy. Thermo photovoltaic (TPV) cells do not convert sunlight but heat radiation from heat sources like a furnace or a chimney into electricity. This type of energy recovery could rapidly become a promising electrical power source. It is an emerging market with an enormous potential, with one of the more attractive applications being the upgrading of traditional household...

Germanium devices as a faster component in silicon chips. Smaller, faster, cheaper. Silicon and silicon dioxide have dominated the micro-electronics world for decades. New materials, showing intrinsically better properties are challenging their position. Integrating germanium-based devices is one possible route to produce smaller and faster microchips. The germanium layer can also serve as a template for the growth of III-V based materials. This enables the further integration of optical functionality on a chip. 4| LED-based lighting solutions are the future. With their long life span and...

Discover our organisation Umicore Electro-Optic Materials Our clients are global. So are we. R&D: Design. Develop. Produce. With production facilities in Olen (Belgium), Quapaw (USA), Acigné (France), Dundee (UK) and Dongchuang (China), and Umicore marketing offices in 35 countries around the globe, we are capable of providing our customers with local supply and support that can make a world of difference. Innovations are the result of creativity. Our highly skilled team is the first key to our success but as part of Umicore, we also draw on the knowledge of the central R&D unit. Alongside...