I have a small 6.3mm lens camera module I would like to put inside a weather protected housing but I need a window for it to look through. These are a bit cheaper than germanium but will they work to pass IR in the proper range and in the proper amount for a camera to see through? These guys indicate they work well for that. https://www.edmundoptics.com/f/zinc-selenide-znse-windows/13195

Here is a link to one on ebay for description purposes.

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" target="_blank">https://www.ebay.com/itm/126001452657

Your links look fucked, but I don't see why an uncoated ZnSe couldn't be used. It should be able to allow 600 nm to 16 µm, which is well within the range of typical thermal, where LWIR is usually only up to 14 or 15 µm.

I saw this lock issue happen with someone else's post links last night. I don't know why it's doing that.

But thanks, I will grab one and give it a try.

Trying the ebay link again...

Use ALON (Aluminum OxyNitride)

It's what the windows on FLIR equipped missiles use.  It's glass (technically a clear ceramic) that IR can see through.  Tough as shit too.  It can be bought in small sheets or blocks and cut to what shape you want it.  More complex shapes (like domes for rockets) are powder fused/cast and then finish machined & polished.

EDIT: In a pinch, thermal sees through cling wrap or saran wrap just fine (or any very thin PE... polyethylene lenses can be used as a budget substitute for germanium in some applications).   It won't be all that durable, but if you had a protruding objective hole you could wrap saran wrap over it and seal it with rubber bands or something around the protrusion.  Maybe hot glue or double-side-tape a stretched piece over a flat hole in the box?  If you get the saran wrap taut the image will remain clear and not muddled almost at all.  Plastic bags don't work so well because they're not glassy smooth and have other dye fillers.  I don't know if a Ziploc bags work well (never tried) but google says they're clear polyethylene.

If you put anything dot com in the message without linking it, the website regurgitates on itself.

Great info! Thanks.

I think I liked your previous avatar better... what was it?

I can't recall the woman's name. She was some european journalist blonde. The first was Melissa Debling. Don't google that name at work.