Innovation of the month

When streets and downtown areas glow with a warm, golden-white light, the source is usually a high-pressure sodium vapor lamp. And at least two out of three of these lamps contain precision niobium components from Heraeus. These high-pressure lamps require a gas discharge to generate light. This occurs between two electrodes in a thin ceramic discharge tube located inside the lamp body. The electrical connectors are made of niobium-1% zirconium alloys. The advantages of niobium alloys lie in their resistance to high temperatures, which can reach 1000° inside the lamp, and their resistance to the sodium found in the interior of the discharge tube, as well as a low expansion factor to the lamp's ceramic burner tube. The manufacture of these tiny millimeter-sized niobium components requires great precision. Heraeus produces them by melting the alloys in an electron beam furnace until they can be drawn, extruded, stamped and folded.

Heraeus products such as infrared emitters or silver pastes help companies manufacture high-quality solar cells efficiently. In this case, quartz glass has become essential for high-temperature applications in photovoltaics: Its resistance to thermal shock, high chemical purity, and resistance to corrosion make this high-tech material irreplaceable. Quartz crucibles from Heraeus are used in the first manufacturing step for traditional solar cells: For monocrystalline wafers, a silicon monocrystal is drawn from a 1400°C silicon melt into a quartz glass crucible. Quartz components are used in wafer-based cell manufacturing both for the industrial production of solar silicon as well as the processing of silicon slices into solar cells. Typical products include quartz glass boats, which are used as wafer carriers in high-temperature processes. Solar panels manufactured using thin-film technology also rely on components made of quartz glass.

Heraeus has developed the AlZin sensor to help companies cut costs and ensure quality by preventing

corrosion in steel. The sensor measures the aluminum content in molten zinc. Zinc is used to prevent corrosion in steel for the automotive industry, for example. However, producers

cannot apply a layer of pure zinc because it is too brittle, so they add a small amount of aluminum. The aluminum ensures that the zinc coating maintains its shine, resistance to corrosion and stability.

In the past, aluminum levels in liquid zinc could only be measured with time-consuming sampling and analysis processes. The AlZin sensor can directly and continuously measure the concentration in zinc baths. Producers can immediately adjust the amount of aluminum in the event of a deviation, thereby reducing waste.

You can find more information here.

Pipelines are used to transport oil and gas over great distances as safely and efficiently as possible. This places a high demand on the pipes. Traditionally, pipelines are pieced together in 12-meter-long sections, a costly procedure for lines that can stretch over 1000 kilometers. Thanks to a new construction technology from a British company, line pipe can now be manufactured on location in significantly longer sections, currently up to 450 meters. In the past, short sections of pipe were manufactured elsewhere and then assembled at the construction site in an expensive and time-consuming process. The new procedure reduces delivery and installation times, and also increases the compressive strength of the pipes. The new curing process that is required uses a custom-designed infrared system from Heraeus that incorporates QRC® infrared heaters with nano reflectors.

The demand for hip and knee joint operations is skyrocketing. Although joint replacement has become a routine surgery, the procedure still poses a challenge. That’s because in arthroplasty, the success of a surgery is measured by the service life, i.e., how long the implant remains firmly anchored in the bone. Heraeus Medical has been developing special bone cements and the corresponding vacuum mixing systems for years. With PALAMIX®, Heraeus has developed an innovative vacuum mixing system that is highly efficient, reliable and easy to use. For example, an integrated vacuum indicator lets medical staff know when a vacuum exists in the cartridge and the bone cement can be mixed. The sophisticated technology in PALAMIX® allows surgeons to apply the bone cement with precision immediately after mixing and to implant the prostheses.

Heraeus is developing a variety of products, such as infrared emitters and silver pastes, to support environmentally friendly solar power production. Solar cells are overwhelmingly manufactured from silicon wafers; thin-film cells represent an alternative that is 100 times thinner. Heraeus is developing

integrated circuit technology, coatings, and heating technology products for both types. Heraeus’ many years of expertise in developing contact pastes is also finding applications in the photovoltaics industry. HeraSol® stands for products used as conductors for wafer-based solar cells. These silver pastes can improve solar cell performance because the fired pastes exhibit low contact resistance and high efficiency.

In the past few decades, the increased use of medical implants has dramatically improved the quality of life for many people. But these operations entail a considerable risk of infection, which is cause for concern as these procedures become ever more common. The bulk of the infections originate when germs infiltrate the site of the incision during the operation. Therefore, an anti-infective coating achieves the goal of preventing germs from colonizing the surface of the implant during or immediately after the operation. Heraeus Medical’s anti-infective coating, AntibiotiCoat®, protects against germs when applied to medical implants with no additional side effects for the patient. AntibiotiCoat® effectively reduces the risk of local infection and significantly lowers the follow-up costs associated with fighting implant-related infections. The picture shows a coated medical fleece.

The use of fats and oils in large kitchens leads to deposits in kitchen extractor hoods and exhaust piping. Fat traps can catch only up to 95% of fat in an exhaust air flow. The rest of the fat is deposited in the body of the hood and in the exhaust piping. This makes cleaning difficult, is unhygienic and also creates a high fire risk. Heraeus has developed special UV lamps for the use in canopies. Its vacuum UV radiation causes a complete and lasting reduction of greases and photolysis odours in canopies and ductwork. Vacuum UV technology for clean air in kitchens.

Electronic circuits and components are found in computers and mobile phones. They contain numerous materials from Heraeus for packaging of integrated circuits, including contact elements and ribbons, metal-plastic contacts, solder pastes, adhesives, precision stamping parts, wipers, and switching and plugging contacts. Ultrafine wires made of gold are used for electroconductive connectors from the terminal pad on semiconductor components to the system carrier.

Bonding wires for the electronics industry are just 25 micrometers thick. One gram of gold is enough for two kilometers of this hair-thin wire. Heraeus gold bonding wires are manufactured from high-purity starting materials (99,999 %) with doping additions. New applications and their increased requirements led to the development of alloyed gold bonding wires.

When people think of optical fibers, they usually think of transmitting information around the globe. But few people know that optical fibers can take care of blocked arteries and enlarged prostates, and even remove tattoos. A Heraeus product makes it possible: Fluosil® is a special fiber material for transmitting high photonic energy over short distances without energy loss, as used in minimally -invasive laser surgery, for example. A catheter with a bundle of specialty fibers transmits the laser energy directly to the site of the vascular occlusion. Fluosil® fibers are also used in urology to remove diseased prostate tissue to treat BPH and in the cosmetic surgery to gently remove tattoos and liquefy fatty tissue before liposuction.

It is becoming ever more important to gain energy in an environmentally friendly way from solar power. Heraeus develops products for coatings, integrated circuits, and heating technology to aid in the production of solar and thin-film cells. Innovative infrared emitters with nano reflectors made of high-purity quartz materials (QRC® reflector (QRC = quartz reflective coating)) improve energy efficiency in solar cell coating processes. Certain steps in the cell production process must be performed in a vacuum at temperatures up to 1200°C. Vacuum heating using the white nano reflector involves no contact and therefore does not carry the risk of impurities.

The best dental filling is one that no one can see. With Venus® Diamond Heraeus has developed a new generation of composite filling materials that makes dental fillings extremely durable and natural beautiful. The innovative universal composite contains a patented matrix and newly developed microhybrid restoration system, improving the filling material´s beauty, durability and workability. The material demonstrates a significant reduction in shrinkage and can be used for fillings in both incisors and molars.

On this page you can find more about Venus® Diamond.

The use of flexible substrates could usher in a new generation in temperature sensor production. Up to now, manufacturing sensors involved in an intensive process for populating circuit boards with stiff substrates. The stamp laminating technology for flexible substrates developed by Heraeus now allows these sensor substrates to be mass produced in reel-to-reel processing. The thumbnail-sized temperature module can measure temperatures up to 250°C and is well suited for taking measurements in tight spaces, such as the engine compartment of a passenger car.

Platinum temperature sensors from Heraeus Sensor Technology help protect the environment by treating exhaust in the automotive industry. Over 10 million thin film sensors, just a few millimeters in size, are installed every year in diesel particulate filters in automobiles. Modern filter systems reduce diesel particle emissions by filtering and then incinerating them. To ensure clean incineration, controlling the filter temperature level is critical so that the filter is not overtaxed. Platinum thin film sensors are being installed in millions of vehicles at this critical measuring point, where temperatures can be as high as 850°C.

Dental technology has advanced rapidly in recent years. It is becoming ever more common for dental prostheses to be manufactured using computer-aided design and manufacturing technology (CAD/CAM systems). Since every dental prosthesis is unique and custom-made, dental technicians with the ability to design continue to be in demand. The new cara CAD/CAM system from Heraeus has ushered in a whole new era of quality, service and performance. The system is backed by a milling center featuring the very latest milling technology adapted to the needs of the user. With its ultra-modern software program and seamlessly integrated technologies, cara delivers products that fit perfectly and are accurate in every detail, even in the case of highly complex crowns and bridges.

Modern electronic circuits consist of many tiny components that are soldered to the appreciate tracks with spheres containing tin alloys to form an electrical connection. The spheres must be soldered to the component and can move on the substrate during the soldering process, creating defects that reduce production yield and create expensive repairs of the component. An innovative combination of flux and fine solder powder from W.C. Heraeus GmbH secures the spheres during the soldering process and prevents them from rolling off the component. Leading Electronics Packaging Company Amkor Technology makes good use of these advantages.

Ensuring the quality of molten steel and iron requires regular measurement of temperature and chemical composition. Lance-shaped sensors from Heraeus Electro-Nite are used to measure these parameters. These products range from disposable sensors (Multi-Lance^®) to sensors for continous measurement (CasTemp^®). The Corus steel plant in Ijmuiden, the Netherlands, has been using these innovative sensors for years to take direct and rapid measurements in molten steel.

Laser excitation lamps are gas discharge lamps, which are used in solid-state lasers for industrial processes involving welding, cutting, and marking, as well as in medical applications. Heraeus Noblelight is the technology leader in the manufacture of these lamps, constantly improving the lifetimes, performance, and energy efficiency of its pulse and continuous wave lamps. Renowned laser manufacturer Rofin-Sinar has benefited from Heraeus’ knowledge of specialty lamps for years.

Heraeus Quarzglas has supplied the optics company Carl Zeiss SMT with high-quality blanks of quartz glass since 1989 for optics systems that use microlithography in industrial chip production. Because the storage density and performance of microchips doubles every two years, new generations of objective lenses are required to transmit ever finer structures. Synthetic quartz glass must keep pace with these developments. Suprasil^® 501 represents an especially durable, self-repairing generation of quartz glass which is used in the latest Carl Zeiss optics.