Items Covered
- a.Optical mirrors (reflectors) as follows:
- 1. 'Deformable mirrors' having an active optical aperture greater than 10 mm and having any of the following, and "specially designed" components therefor:
- 1.a. Having all the following:
- 1.a.1. A mechanical resonant frequency of 750 Hz or more; and
- 1.a.2. More than 200 actuators; or
- 1.b. A Laser Induced Damage Threshold (LIDT) being any of the following:
- 1.b.1. Greater than 1 kW/cm2 using a "CW laser"; or
- 1.b.2. Greater than 2 J/cm2 using 20 ns "laser" pulses at 20 Hz repetition rate;
- 1.a. Having all the following:
- 1. 'Deformable mirrors' having an active optical aperture greater than 10 mm and having any of the following, and "specially designed" components therefor:
- a.A single continuous optical reflecting surface which is dynamically deformed by the application of individual torques or forces to compensate for distortions in the optical waveform incident upon the mirror; or
- b.Multiple optical reflecting elements that can be individually and dynamically repositioned by the application of torques or forces to compensate for distortions in the optical waveform incident upon the mirror.
- 2. Lightweight monolithic mirrors having an average "equivalent density" of less than 30 kg/m2 and a total mass exceeding 10 kg;
- 3. Lightweight "composite" or foam mirror structures having an average "equivalent density" of less than 30 kg/m2 and a total mass exceeding 2 kg;
- 4. Mirrors "specially designed" for beam steering mirror stages specified in 6A004.d.2.a with a flatness of λ/10 or better (λ is equal to 633 nm) and having any of the following:
- 4.a. Diameter or major axis length greater than or equal to 100 mm; or
- 4.b. Having all of the following:
- 4.b.1. Diameter or major axis length greater than 50 mm but less than 100 mm; and
- 4.b.2. A Laser Induced Damage Threshold (LIDT) being any of the following:
- 4.b.2.a. Greater than 10 kW/cm2 using a "CW laser"; or
- 4.b.2.b. Greater than 20 J/cm2 using 20 ns "laser" pulses at 20 Hz repetition rate;
- b.Optical "components" made from zinc selenide (ZnSe) or zinc sulfide (ZnS) with transmission in the wavelength range exceeding 3,000 nm but not exceeding 25,000 nm and having any of the following:
- 1. Exceeding 100 cm3 in volume; or
- 2. Exceeding 80 mm in diameter or length of major axis and 20 mm in thickness (depth);
- c."Space-qualified" "components" for optical systems, as follows:
- 1. "Components" lightweighted to less than 20% "equivalent density" compared with a solid blank of the same aperture and thickness;
- 2. Raw substrates, processed substrates having surface coatings (single-layer or multi-layer, metallic or dielectric, conducting, semiconducting or insulating) or having protective films;
- 3. Segments or assemblies of mirrors designed to be assembled in space into an optical system with a collecting aperture equivalent to or larger than a single optic 1 m in diameter;
- 4. "Components" manufactured from "composite" materials having a coefficient of linear thermal expansion, in any coordinate direction, equal to or less than 5 × 10−6/K;
- d.Optical control equipment as follows:
- 1. Equipment "specially designed" to maintain the surface figure or orientation of the "space-qualified" "components" controlled by 6A004.c.1 or 6A004.c.3;
- 2. Steering, tracking, stabilisation and resonator alignment equipment as follows:
- 2.a. Beam steering mirror stages designed to carry mirrors having diameter or major axis length greater than 50 mm and having all of the following, and "specially designed" electronic control equipment therefor:
- 2.a.1. A maximum angular travel of ±26 mrad or more;
- 2.a.2. A mechanical resonant frequency of 500 Hz or more; and
- 2.a.3. An angular "accuracy" of 10 µrad (microradians) or less (better);
- 2.b. Resonator alignment equipment having bandwidths equal to or more than 100 Hz and an "accuracy" of 10 µrad or less (better);
- 2.a. Beam steering mirror stages designed to carry mirrors having diameter or major axis length greater than 50 mm and having all of the following, and "specially designed" electronic control equipment therefor:
- 3. Gimbals having all of the following:
- 3.a. A maximum slew exceeding 5°;
- 3.b. A bandwidth of 100 Hz or more;
- 3.c. Angular pointing errors of 200 µrad (microradians) or less; and
- 3.d. Having any of the following:
- 3.d.1. Exceeding 0.15 m but not exceeding 1 m in diameter or major axis length and capable of angular accelerations exceeding 2 rad (radians)/s2; or
- 3.d.2. Exceeding 1 m in diameter or major axis length and capable of angular accelerations exceeding 0.5 rad (radians)/s2;
- 4. [Reserved]
- e.'Aspheric optical elements' having all of the following:
- 1. Largest dimension of the optical-aperture greater than 400 mm;
- 2. Surface roughness less than 1 nm (rms) for sampling lengths equal to or greater than 1 mm; and
- 3. Coefficient of linear thermal expansion's absolute magnitude less than 3 × 10−6/K at 25 °C;
- a.Largest optical-aperture dimension less than 1 m and focal length to aperture ratio equal to or greater than 4.5:1;
- b.Largest optical-aperture dimension equal to or greater than 1 m and focal length to aperture ratio equal to or greater than 7:1;
- c.Designed as Fresnel, flyeye, stripe, prism or diffractive optical elements;
- d.Fabricated from borosilicate glass having a coefficient of linear thermal expansion greater than 2.5 × 10−6/K at 25 °C; or
- e.An x-ray optical element having inner mirror capabilities (e.g., tube-type mirrors).
- f.Dynamic wavefront measuring equipment having all of the following:
- 1. 'Frame rates' equal to or more than 1 kHz; and
- 2. A wavefront accuracy equal to or less (better) than λ/20 at the designed wavelength.
Control Reasons Explained
This ECCN is controlled for the following reasons. Each reason maps to a column on the Commerce Country Chart, which determines whether a license is required for a given destination.
- NSNational Security
- Items that could contribute to the military potential of countries of concern. Check the Commerce Country Chart column for NS to determine license requirements.
- ATAnti-Terrorism
- Basic anti-terrorism controls that apply to most items on the CCL. A license is required for exports to countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism.
Common Questions About 6A004
What does ECCN 6A004 cover?
ECCN 6A004 is an entry on the Commerce Control List (Sensors & Lasers). The List of Items Controlled below describes the products, software, or technology captured by this classification. Compare your item against those parameters when self-classifying.
How do license requirements work for this ECCN?
License need depends on the control reasons shown for this code (for example NS, RS, MT, AT), the destination country, and how your transaction maps against the Commerce Country Chart, de minimis, and other EAR provisions. This page is a research aid only. Confirm against the current rule text and your specific facts before exporting.
Where is the official text for this ECCN?
The legal text appears in Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR Part 774). Use the official BIS link on this page to open the current supplement entry for this ECCN.
What if my product matches more than one ECCN?
When several ECCNs appear to fit, the controlling entry is usually the one that is most specific to your item's form, function, or technical limits. Cross-references in the List of Items Controlled and related ECCNs listed on this page are common starting points for narrowing the choice.
How often should I re-check this classification?
The Commerce Control List changes when BIS publishes new or amended rules. Revisit the official entry when regulations update, when the product's technical parameters change, or when the destination, end-user, or end-use of a transaction changes.
What do the control reason codes mean?
Each control reason (NS, RS, MT, AT, etc.) maps to a column on the Commerce Country Chart in Supplement No. 1 to part 738 of the EAR. When a control reason applies to your ECCN and the destination country has an X in that column, a license is generally required unless an exception applies. See the Control Reasons Explained section on this page for details on each code.