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Quartz Glass

UV-Grade Fused Silica for optical applications

Special Properties

  • Excellent UV transmission
  • High optical quality
  • High-purity glass composition
  • Extremely heat-resistant
  • Low coefficient of thermal expansion
  • Crystal-clear, water-white appearance
  • Withstands temperatures of up to 1000 °C
  • Very high thermal shock resistance
  • Excellent chemical resistance
  • Low fluorescence
  • High electrical insulation
  • Chemically inert
  • Made by flame hydrolysis
  • Machinable by cutting, grinding, and polishing

Typical Applications

  • Ultraviolet and deep UV (DUV) transmitting windows
  • Glass wafers for semiconductor technology
  • Substrates for mirror or filter coatings
  • UV measurement instruments
  • Microscope slides and coverslips for medical applications
  • Industrial quartz parts
  • High-temperature applications
  • Chemically resistant glass components
  • Pressure windows
  • Quartz plates for laboratory equipment
  • Space Technology

 

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Related Glass Types

If you need information or help choosing the right quartz material, please visit our Quartz Glass FAQ page.

 

Optical Quartz Glass | Synthetic Fused Silica

Optical quartz glass is a synthetic, high-purity fused silica produced by a flame hydrolysis melting process. Quartz glass window The crystal-clear amorphous material contains virtually no impurities, consisting only of silicon and oxygen (silicon dioxide). This unique type of quartz glass provides over 80% UV light transmission at a wavelength of 185 nm.

The enormous temperature range and thermal endurance of quartz glass are unparalleled. It can operate continuously up to 1000 °C and is highly resistant to thermal shock due to its very low coefficient of thermal expansion. Moreover, the chemical properties of quartz glass are remarkable. Its chemical resistance to acids exceeds that of almost all other glass types. Quartz glass is durable and exceptionally resistant to salt solutions, alkalis, and water.

Due to its excellent electrical properties, quartz glass is also ideal for solutions in semiconductor technology. Because currents can only flow through mobile ionic impurities that are marginally present in quartz glass, it offers exceptionally high electrical insulation, which is essential for the fabrication of many electronic devices and semiconductors.

 

Quartz Glass Optics

We manufacture custom optics for the UV, visible, and infrared wavelength ranges, primarily from large quartz blocks called boules. We can select the raw glass for inclusion and bubble classes. In addition, an index homogeneity of up to ≤ 0.5 ppm is available if this is a critical requirement for an application. Cutting the raw glass from the boule is the first step in the production of a quartz glass optic. After this process, the quartz glass is shaped, finely ground, and polished according to the specific requirements. In this way, our company produces UV-transparent substrate glasses, glass wafers, microscope slides, and many other quartz glass products daily.

 

How do I get a quote?

To request a quotation for windows, substrates, glass plates, or other optical quartz glass parts with custom dimensions, please select a thickness from the table or use the button below.

 

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48h-Express icon 48 hour express manufacturing

 

Specifications and Properties


Transmittance spectrum of synthetic
fused silica in the ultraviolet-to-infrared range

Spectral curve of UV-quartz glass
Zoom in to see details

Glass Thicknesses

As high-purity fused silica is a block glass, there are usually no off-the-shelf standard thicknesses available. The thickness must be individually specified and manufactured. However, we continuously grind and polish to different thicknesses and tolerances to offer our customers the best possible availability and short lead times. You can even order these with individual dimensions and take advantage of our 48-hour express production.
Click below to start an inquiry:

Glass THK
(mm)

Tolerance

48h-Express manufacturing
0.175 ±0.020
0.30 ±0.050
0.30 ±0.025
0.50 ±0.050
0.50 ±0.030
0.50 ±0.025
1.00 ±0.100
1.00 ±0.025
1.10 ±0.100
2.00 ±0.150
3.00 ±0.200
3.00 ±0.025
Other thicknesses are possible on demand.

 

Light Transmission

  • T > 80% at 185 nm

Refractive Index

  • nd = 1.4585

Density

  • 2.20 g/cm3

Young's Modulus

  • 74 GPa (typical value)

Homogeneity

Inclusion Classes

Glass Composition

  • Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)

Operating Temperature

  • Up to 1000 °C

Average Coefficient of Thermal Expansion

  • ≈ 0.57 × 10-6/K

Viscosity

  • Softening point: ≈ 1585 °C
  • Annealing point: ≈ 1042 °C
  • Strain point: ≈ 893 °C

Dielectric Constant

  • εr: 3.9 (500 MHz)

 

Fused Quartz for Sight Glass Applications

In addition to the optical quartz glass described above, we also process a less sophisticated quartz type called fused quartz. Although it is also commonly called quartz glass, it is clearly different. Unlike fused silica, this material is made by melting natural quartz crystals. As a result, it contains far more impurities and can't offer the homogeneity or outstanding optical performance of fused silica. These lower material grades are typically used for high-temperature applications where only sight glass quality is needed. As purity and deep UV transparency are of secondary importance in such use cases, this more economical quartz glass type is often the best choice for such components. Although fused quartz glass is only suitable for less demanding applications, it has an almost identical coefficient of expansion, a similar heat resistance, and the same interesting thermal properties as the higher-grade materials. It also offers excellent chemical resistance and better UV-light transparency than most other glasses. Furthermore, it is capable of very high infrared transmission and has the same crystal-clear appearance as optical quartz. Fused quartz is used for the fabrication of high-temperature sight glasses, lamp housings, UV lighting or disinfection systems, clear furnace glasses, pressure-resistant windows, and other quartz glass components typically used in industry. For further details, specifications, and properties, please refer to our fused quartz datasheet. Please also look at the Quartz Glass FAQ page for help in selecting the right quartz glass material for your application.

Our company processes raw materials from leading manufacturers in the quartz glass industry (Corning, Heraeus, Tosoh, SCHOTT, Saint-Gobain Quartz, Shin-Etsu, GE Quartz, and many others). More detailed properties, datasheets, and information on all glass qualities we supply are available on request.

 

All details and specifications given are average reference values and are not guaranteed. Please consider the "Notes on technical specifications".

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Last update: May 17, 24