{"id":12999,"date":"2026-05-22T09:25:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hef.group\/?p=12999"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:25:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:25:58","slug":"photonics-expertise-in-the-service-of-the-aerospace-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hef.group\/en\/photonics-expertise-in-the-service-of-the-aerospace-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Photonics expertise in the service of the aerospace industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"axblock-textandimg white-bg\">\n    <div class=\"ax-textandimg\">\n        <div class=\"container ax-textandimg-container content-right \">\n            <div class=\"ax-textandimg-content\" style=\"--numberColumns: 2\">\n                                    <h2 class=\"ax-title3\">Sapphire optical windows for avionics<\/h2>\n                                                    <div class=\"text-content\">\n                        <p style=\"text-align: left;\">In aerospace applications, optical components must meet far more than just purely optical requirements. They must withstand harsh environmental conditions, maintain <strong>stable optical performance<\/strong>, and incorporate additional functionality directly into the system. <\/p>\n<p>This project illustrates how the expertise of the <strong>HEF Groupe<\/strong> combine to develop <strong>advanced photonic solutions<\/strong> intended for critical avionics systems.<\/p>\n<p>The process begins at our HEF PHOTONICS facility in Lisses, France, where the optical-grade single-crystal sapphire substrate is manufactured. The component is then optimized by our subsidiary <strong>KERDRY in Lannion, France<\/strong>, using advanced optical and functional treatments tailored to the demanding requirements of the aerospace industry. <\/p>\n<p>The result is a <strong>high-performance sapphire-based optical window<\/strong> that combines optical transmission, environmental resistance, and integrated functionality within a single component.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of acting as a simple, passive transparent component, this optical window becomes a <strong>real asset to the system\u2019s overall performance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>By combining expertise in materials, thin-film technologies, and functional integration capabilities, HEF supports its customers in developing solutions for the most demanding aerospace environments.<\/p>\n<p>This concrete example illustrates how the expertise within our photonics business complements one another to meet the demands of aerospace applications.<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n\n\t        <div class=\"ax-textandimg-medias-container\">\n\t            \t                \t                    <div class=\"ax-textandimg-img contain\">\n\t                        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1402\" height=\"1122\" src=\"https:\/\/hef.group\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ChatGPT-Image-20.-Mai-2026-13_19_40-e1779374045741.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Fen\u00eatre optique en saphir pour applications avioniques, tenue \u00e0 la main devant le nez d\u2019un avion dans un environnement a\u00e9ronautique.\" \/>\t                    <\/div>\n\t                                    \t            \n\t\t        \t        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"axblock-textandimg blue-bg\">\n    <div class=\"ax-textandimg\">\n        <div class=\"container ax-textandimg-container content-left \">\n            <div class=\"ax-textandimg-content\" style=\"--numberColumns: 1\">\n                                    <h2 class=\"ax-title3\">Technical Highlights<\/h2>\n                                                    <div class=\"text-content\">\n                        <p>\u2022 <strong>Optical-grade monocrystalline sapphire (C-Axis or A-Axis)<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u2022 Transmission &gt;90 % in the VIS\u2013SWIR range<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u2022 Metallic grid integration<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u2022 Optional conductive ITO layer<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u2022 Anti-reflective coating (AR) and integrated bus bars<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u2022 Experience with systems designed for aerospace environmental requirements (DO-160 heritage)<\/strong><\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n\n\t        <div class=\"ax-textandimg-medias-container\">\n\t            \t                \t                    <div class=\"ax-textandimg-img cover\">\n\t                        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/hef.group\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ChatGPT-Image-21.-Mai-2026-16_49_36-e1779376140762.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Avion au d\u00e9collage illustrant les applications a\u00e9ronautiques des solutions photoniques haute performance.\" \/>\t                    <\/div>\n\t                                    \t            \n\t\t        \t        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In aerospace applications, optical components must meet far more than just purely optical requirements. They must withstand harsh environmental conditions, maintain stable optical performance, and incorporate additional functionality directly into the system. This project illustrates how the expertise of the HEF Groupe combine to develop advanced photonic solutions intended for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":13002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[561],"class_list":["post-12999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-group","tag-success-story-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Advanced Photonic Solutions for Avionics | HEF<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the sapphire optical windows developed by HEF PHOTONICS and KERDRY for demanding avionics applications.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hef.group\/en\/photonics-expertise-in-the-service-of-the-aerospace-industry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Advanced Photonic Solutions for Avionics | HEF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the sapphire optical windows developed by HEF PHOTONICS and KERDRY for demanding avionics applications.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hef.group\/en\/photonics-expertise-in-the-service-of-the-aerospace-industry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HEF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-22T07:25:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"C\u00e9line Porini\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" 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