Optical Silicon vs. Cordierite
Optical silicon belongs to the non-glass optical ceramics classification, while cordierite belongs to the oxide-based engineering ceramics. There are 17 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (9, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is optical silicon and the bottom bar is cordierite.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Compressive (Crushing) Strength, MPa | 120 | |
| 420 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 150 | |
| 62 |
| Flexural Strength, MPa | 300 | |
| 17 to 32 |
| Fracture Toughness, MPa-m1/2 | 3.5 | |
| 2.0 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 110 | |
| 190 |
Thermal Properties
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 1350 | |
| 1150 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 700 | |
| 800 to 850 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 150 | |
| 1.3 to 1.7 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 3.0 | |
| 2.9 to 4.8 |
Electrical Properties
| Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity) At 1 MHz | 12 | |
| 4.7 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.3 | |
| 2.0 to 2.2 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 35 | |
| 15 to 17 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 75 | |
| 59 to 67 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 24 to 27 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 22 | |
| 33 to 38 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 93 | |
| 0.74 to 1.0 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 18 | |
| 47 to 78 |