Space-Qualified Cover Glass
Excelitas is a highly specialized manufacturer of radiation stable micro-sheet coverglass with extensive on-orbit proven performance. With dedicated glass melting based in our UK operations and unique patented glass formulations, we offer a fully integrated high-volume manufacturing capability to meet your most challenging qualified-space glass requirements. Our advanced research and development continue to keep us on the leading edge of space technology.
Excelitas Cover Glass is manufactured from ultra thin cerium doped glass that prevents solar cell damage from ultra-violet, electron and proton irradiation.
We offer an unmatched range of thicknesses and geometries in CMX, CMG and CMO glass types delivering low solar absorption, high emissivity, ESD protection and thermal expansion coefficients that match solar cells. This couples with patented performance-enhancing coatings to offer unparalleled extra-terrestrial protection for both Silicon and Gallium Arsenide solar cells.
We entered the space business in 1970 as Pilkington Space Technology. Our unique range of cerium-doped coverglass has been utilized on over 3000 satellites in LEO, MEO, GEO and beyond. Our glass compositions and custom coating designs have made us the leading innovator in solar cell coverglass.
Glass Options
- CMX
- CMG
- CMO
Coating Options
- Single layer Anti-reflection coatings
- Multilayer Anti-reflection coatings
- Conductive Anti-reflection coatings
- UV reflection coatings
- Infrared reflection coatings
- ATOX resistant coating
- Specialized coatings to manage thruster erosion
Mechanical Properties
- Thickness: 0.050 mm to 0.50 mm / 0.002” to 0.02” Special thicknesses on request
- Tolerancing: LxW ± 0.05 mm / 0.002”
- Surface Finish: As drawn to: MIL-PRF-13830B, 80/50 scratch dig
- Parallelism: 0.05 mm per 20 mm
- Perpendicularity: 90º ± 0º 30’
- Coating: Uncoated area, masked by coating tooling, shall not exceed 1% of the total coverglass area
- Edge Quality: Chemically etched for strength enhancement
- Toughening: CMX and CMG glass can be chemically toughened if required
- Humidity Resistance: 98% ± 2% relative humidity for 72 hours @ 50ºC ± 20ºC
- Adhesion: Using cellulose tape to MIL-M-13508
- Abrasion: 20 strokes with 6mm pencil type eraser to MIL-E-12397 loaded to 10N
- Radiation Resistance: UV exposure, electron, low energy proton, high energy proton - please refer to relevant specifications
- Thermal Cycling: Details on request
Glass Options
- CMX
- CMG
- CMO
Coating Options
- Single layer Anti-reflection coatings
- Multilayer Anti-reflection coatings
- Conductive Anti-reflection coatings
- UV reflection coatings
- Infrared reflection coatings
- ATOX resistant coating
- Specialized coatings to manage thruster erosion
Mechanical Properties
- Thickness: 0.050 mm to 0.50 mm / 0.002” to 0.02” Special thicknesses on request
- Tolerancing: LxW ± 0.05 mm / 0.002”
- Surface Finish: As drawn to: MIL-PRF-13830B, 80/50 scratch dig
- Parallelism: 0.05 mm per 20 mm
- Perpendicularity: 90º ± 0º 30’
- Coating: Uncoated area, masked by coating tooling, shall not exceed 1% of the total coverglass area
- Edge Quality: Chemically etched for strength enhancement
- Toughening: CMX and CMG glass can be chemically toughened if required
- Humidity Resistance: 98% ± 2% relative humidity for 72 hours @ 50ºC ± 20ºC
- Adhesion: Using cellulose tape to MIL-M-13508
- Abrasion: 20 strokes with 6mm pencil type eraser to MIL-E-12397 loaded to 10N
- Radiation Resistance: UV exposure, electron, low energy proton, high energy proton - please refer to relevant specifications
- Thermal Cycling: Details on request