12 Facts About Fused quartz

Fused quartz, fused silica or quartz glass is a glass consisting of almost pure silica in amorphous form.

Fused quartz, therefore, has high working and melting temperatures, making it less desirable for most common applications.

Terms fused quartz and fused silica are used interchangeably, but can refer to different manufacturing techniques, as noted below, resulting in different trace impurities.

The low coefficient of thermal expansion of fused quartz makes it a useful material for precision mirror substrates.

Fused quartz is produced by fusing high-purity silica sand, which consists of quartz crystals.

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Many optical applications of fused quartz exploit its wide transparency range, which can extend well into the ultraviolet and into the near-mid infrared.

Fused quartz is the key starting material for optical fiber, used for telecommunications.

Fused quartz has nearly ideal properties for fabricating first surface mirrors such as those used in telescopes.

Fused quartz can be metallised and etched for use as a substrate for high-precision microwave circuits, the thermal stability making it a good choice for narrowband filters and similar demanding applications.

Refractory shapes made from fused quartz have excellent thermal shock resistance and are chemically inert to most elements and compounds, including virtually all acids, regardless of concentration, except hydrofluoric acid, which is very reactive even in fairly low concentrations.

Fused quartz is prone to phosphorescence and "solarisation" under intense UV illumination, as is often seen in flashtubes.

Optical dispersion of fused quartz can be approximated by the following Sellmeier equation:.