Oxygen-Free Electronic (OFE) Copper Bars and Sheets
High Purity ‘Oxygen-Free Electronic’ grade Copper — OFE Copper, also referred to as copper alloy C10100, is a 99.99% minimum purity copper that has a maximum 0.0005% oxygen content. Removing or minimizing the amount of oxygen present in a copper material will dramatically improve its corrosion resistance and boost its current flow (electrical conductivity). The ICAS (International Annealed Copper Standard) rates OFE Copper’s electrical conductivity at 101% @ 20°C.
Benefits of Oxygen-Free Copper
Some of the benefits of OFE Copper
- High electrical conductivity — Superior to the average conductivity found in other copper products, makes OFE Copper ideal for electrical and electronic applications.
- High thermal conductivity — Efficient heat dissipation, essential for applications like microwave tubes, as well as high-current UHV electrical feedthroughs and components.
- High ductility and workability — Allows the material to be easily formed into various shapes, beneficial for vacuum seals and other intricate vacuum compatible components.
- Resistance to hydrogen embrittlement — Unlike standard copper, OFE Copper does not become brittle when exposed to hydrogen at high temperatures, making it ideally suited for cryogenic applications.
AGP offers a selection of standard OFE Copper shapes in small and convenient formfactors, such as copper OFE sheets and copper OFE bars, which are ideal for projects requiring a small quantity of material—thus eliminating the minimum volume purchase requirements imposed by most material supply houses. These include a selection of 12-Inch length rectangular copper OFE bars in popular width and thickness combinations, 6x6-Inch copper OFE sheets in .125 to .375-Inch thicknesses, as well as foot-long cylindrical rods in .125 to 1-Inch diameters.