Quartz Glass

Special Properties

• Excellent ultraviolet transmission and optical quality
• High-purity glass composition
• Extremely heat resistant
• Low coefficient of thermal expansion
• Crystal clear water-white appearance
• Operating temperature up to 1000 °C
• Very high thermal shock resistance
• Outstanding chemical strength
• Low fluorescence
• High electrical insulation resistance
• Chemically inert
• Made by a flame hydrolysis process

Typical Applications

• Quartz glass windows for UV and deep ultraviolet applications (DUV)
• Quartz glass wafers for semiconductor technology
• Substrate glasses for High-End mirror coatings
• Quartz optics for laser use
• UV-measuring instruments
• Quartz microscope slides and coverslips for medical applications
• Industrial quartz components
• High-temperature applications
• Glass parts with high chemical resistance
• Laboratory components
• Space applications

Get a price quote for
Quartz Glass

48-hour express-service possible*

Optical Quartz Glass - Synthetic Fused Silica

Quartz glass used for optics is a synthetically produced high-purity fused silica made by flame hydrolysis. The crystal-clear amorphous silicon dioxide material contains only silicon and oxygen and is virtually free of impurities. This unique quartz glass quality enables high UV light transmission higher than 80% at a wavelength as low as 185 nm.

The enormous operating temperature range and high thermal load capacity of quartz glass are unparalleled. The pure silicon dioxide glass can operate permanently up to 1000 °C and is highly resistant to thermal shock. These excellent thermal properties result from quartz glass's very low expansion coefficient. As well, the chemical durability of this unique glass material is remarkable. Quartz glass is particularly resistant to saline solutions, acids, and water. The chemical strength of quartz glass to bases surpasses almost all other glass types.
Furthermore, exceptional electrical properties make quartz glass ideal for applications in semiconductor technology. As currents can only flow through moving ionic impurities marginal in quartz glass, the material has a low conductivity and a very high electrical insulation resistance. These characteristics are essential for numerous electronics and semiconductor applications.

 

Quartz Glass Optics

We fabricate custom optics of quartz glass for the UV, visible, and infrared wavelength range mainly from large blocks, the so-called boules, and we can select the raw glass for low inclusions and bubbles if necessary. Also, an index homogeneity down to ≤ 0,5 ppm is available if this parameter represents a critical requirement for your application.
The first step to producing an optic from a quartz boule is cutting the required material from the quartz glass block. After this process, the quartz glass is shaped, finely ground, and polished according to the requirements. In this way, our company fabricates UV-transparent substrate glasses, quartz glass wafers, microscope slides, laser components, and many other quartz glass items daily.

 

How to get a price quote

To request a quotation for windows, substrates, or other parts made of optical grade quartz glass with individual dimensions, please select a thickness from the table or use the following button.

 

Get a price quote for
Quartz Glass

48-hour express-service possible*

 

Specifications & Properties

Transmittance spectrum of synthetic
Fused Silica in the ultraviolet to infrared range

Enlarge view and show details

Glass thicknesses

As optical quartz glass is a block glass, there are no standard thicknesses. Consequently, the glass thickness needs to be specified and manufactured individually. To offer our customers the highest availability and the best possible service, we continually grind and polish the following glass thicknesses and tolerances. You can even order these within our 48-hour express service:

Please click on a glass thickness to start a request:

Glass Thickness (mm)	Tolerance
0,175	±0,020	✔
0,30	±0,025	✔
0,30	±0,050	✔
0,50	±0,025	✔
0,50	±0,030	✔
0,50	±0,050	✔
1,00	±0,025	✔
1,00	±0,100	✔
1,10	±0,100	✔
2,00	±0,150	✔
3,00	±0,025	✔
3,00	±0,100	✔
Other thicknesses per request.
*The quartz glass thicknesses marked with "✔" are available in 48-hour express service.

 

Light Transmission

• T > 80% at 185 nm
  (UV-grade quartz glass material = fused silica)

Refractive Index

• n_d = 1,4585

Density

• 2,20 g/cm³

Young's Modulus

• 74 GPa (typical value)

Homogeneity

• Homogeneity grades per inquiry
• Index homogeneities of the UV-grade quartz glass materials down to ≤ 0,5 ppm are possible on demand.

Inclusion Classes

• Inclusion class options on request

Glass Composition

• Silicon dioxide (SiO2)

Operating Temperature

• up to 1000 °C

Average Coefficient of Thermal Expansion

• ≈ 0,57 x 10^-6/K

Viscosity

• Softening point approximately 1585 °C
• Annealing point approximately 1042 °C
• Strain point approximately 893 °C

Dielectric Constant

• ε_r: 3,9 (500 MHz)

 

Fused Quartz Glass for Industrial Sight Glass Applications

Besides the fused silica grades described before, we also process less sophisticated quartz glass materials for high-temperature applications in the industry, requiring only sight glass functionality. Since the inner material quality and the deep-UV transparency are of secondary concern in those cases, the less expensive "Fused Quartz" is the best choice for fabricating such items. Unlike fused silica, this quartz glass type is manufactured by melting natural quartz crystals. Hence, fused quartz is not nearly as pure as fused silica as it contains far more contaminants and can't offer Fused Silica's high material purity, homogeneity, and optical properties.
Therefore, this quartz glass type is typically used for less demanding applications. It has an almost identical coefficient of expansion, a similar heat resistance, and nearly the same thermal properties as the high-end glass materials. Besides, fused quartz glass also features virtually the same chemical strength as Fused Silica, and it still offers a better UV transparency than most other glass materials. Also, it has the same crystal clear appearance as optical grade quartz glass.
Fused quartz glass is significantly more economical than High-End quartz glass used for optics. So this material is the best choice for fabricating high-temperature sight glasses, lamp housings, UV-lighting systems, transparent furnace panes, and other industrial quartz glass parts. You can find further details, specifications, and properties of this quartz glass type in our "Fused Quartz Glass" spec sheet.

Please refer to our Quartz Glass FAQ page for help selecting the appropriate quartz glass type for your application.

Our company processes quartz glass materials from many leading manufacturers in the quartz glass industry (Corning, Heraeus, Tosoh, SCHOTT, Saint Gobain Quartz, Shin-Etsu, GE Quartz, and many others). We are pleased to share detailed properties and information about the quartz glass qualities we supply on request.

 

All given details and specifications are mean reference values and are not guaranteed. Also, please consider the "Notes on technical specifications".

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Last update 10.06.2022