Major Breakthrough in Large-Size Quartz Glass Technology

[China Glass Network] The China Building Materials Academy has recently achieved a breakthrough in developing large-size quartz glass products, with diameters exceeding 600 millimeters and optical homogeneity reaching 2.1×10⁻⁶. This innovation marks a successful entry into the "2.0 era" of large-size quartz glass optical homogeneity in China, laying a technological foundation for the independent development of even larger, high-uniformity quartz glass products.

Optical homogeneity refers to the degree of refractive index uniformity within a material. If optical homogeneity is inadequate, light passing through the medium may experience phase shifts, potentially causing optical systems to fail in achieving their intended functions or even operate improperly. As a critical lens material for advanced optical systems, the optical homogeneity of fused quartz glass directly impacts imaging quality. Since the 9th Five-Year Plan period, the China Building Materials Academy has dedicated itself to researching new processes, technologies, equipment, and foundational theories for high-uniformity quartz glass. Key milestones include:

• During the 10th Five-Year Plan, pioneering the domestic vertical chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, enabling the manufacture of large-size, high-uniformity quartz glass.
• Achieving batch production of 300-millimeter diameter quartz glass with optical homogeneity of 3×10⁻⁶ during the 11th Five-Year Plan.
• Realizing a qualitative leap in optical homogeneity from 3×10⁻⁶ to 2×10⁻⁶ through technological breakthroughs in the 12th Five-Year Plan, developing fully independent intellectual property in technologies and equipment.

In 2014, the Academy was awarded the Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Invention in the Building Materials Industry, driving sectoral advancements. Its products have been applied in high-precision surveying camera systems and other high-tech fields.