Kohoku kogyo Co. Ltd. has recently announced that it will be able to produce micrometer-order quartz using SSG®? (slurry cast silica glass), a manufacturing technology for high-purity quartz glass products.

The company has established the technology to realize glass shapes. This makes it possible to manufacture lenses with shapes that are extremely difficult or impossible to manufacture using conventional manufacturing methods. Additionally, since SSG®?

has a purity equivalent to that of synthetic quartz, it is expected to be used in fields that require high heat and high definition, such as laser processing machines and special industrial lighting. Synthetic quartz has superior corrosion resistance and heat resistance compared to general transparent glass, and is used in medical inspection equipment, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, industrial products, etc., but it is difficult to process compared to general glass products. Because it is difficult to mold fine and complex shapes, its uses have been limited.

This time, by using a unique slurry casting method that allows for more flexible molding of complex shapes than conventional methods, the company have taken advantage of synthetic quartz's "high purity" and "high stability" features, making it possible to create shapes that were previously impossible. It is thought that it can be applied to various application fields. A prototype of this new technology will be exhibited at the "Photonix 2023" exhibition to be held at Makuhari Messe from October 4th to 6th.