  We present the results of high precision measurements of the thermal
expansion of the sintered SiC, SiC-100, intended for use in cryogenic
space-telescopes, in which minimization of thermal deformation of the mirror is
critical and precise information of the thermal expansion is needed for the
telescope design. The temperature range of the measurements extends from room
temperature down to $\sim$ 10 K. Three samples, #1, #2, and #3 were
manufactured from blocks of SiC produced in different lots. The thermal
expansion of the samples was measured with a cryogenic dilatometer, consisting
of a laser interferometer, a cryostat, and a mechanical cooler. The typical
thermal expansion curve is presented using the 8th order polynomial of the
temperature. For the three samples, the coefficients of thermal expansion
(CTE), $\bar{\alpha}_{#1}$, $\bar{\alpha}_{#2}$, and $\bar{\alpha}_{#3}$ were
derived for temperatures between 293 K and 10 K. The average and the dispersion
(1 $\sigma$ rms) of these three CTEs are 0.816 and 0.002 ($\times 10^{-6}$/K),
respectively. No significant difference was detected in the CTE of the three
samples from the different lots. Neither inhomogeneity nor anisotropy of the
CTE was observed. Based on the obtained CTE dispersion, we performed an
finite-element-method (FEM) analysis of the thermal deformation of a 3.5 m
diameter cryogenic mirror made of six SiC-100 segments. It was shown that the
present CTE measurement has a sufficient accuracy well enough for the design of
the 3.5 m cryogenic infrared telescope mission, the Space Infrared telescope
for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA).
