Optical glass can change the direction of light propagation and can change the relative spectral distribution of ultraviolet, visible, or infrared light. Optical glass in a narrow sense refers to colorless optical glass; optical glass in a broad sense also includes colored optical glass, laser glass, quartz optical glass, anti-radiation glass, ultraviolet, and infrared optical glass, fiber optical glass, acousto-optic glass, magneto-optical glass, and photochromic glass. Optical glass can be used to manufacture lenses, prisms, mirrors, and windows in optical instruments. Components made of optical glass are key elements in optical instruments.
Optical glass is the foundation and important part of the optoelectronic technology industry. Especially after the 1990s, with the continuous integration of optics, electronic information science, and new material science, the application of optical glass as the basic material of optoelectronics in the three fields of optical transmission, optical storage, and the optoelectronic display has advanced by leaps and bounds. Social informatization, especially one of the basic conditions for the development of optoelectronic information technology.
With the sustained and stable development of the domestic economy, China’s optical glass manufacturing industry is developing rapidly. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, from 2010 to 2021, the number of enterprises above designated size in the optical glass manufacturing industry reached 246, and the industry’s annual sales revenue was 23.405 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 53.70%; the realized profit was 1.537 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 87.10%. ; The scale of assets reached 26.45 billion yuan, an increase of 77.49% year-on-year. Since the optical glass manufacturing industry is dominated by domestic sales, the impact of the financial crisis on it is relatively small, and the industry still shows a good growth momentum.
Optical introduction: Optical glass is used to manufacture lenses, prisms, mirrors, windows, and other glass materials for optical instruments or mechanical systems. Including colorless optical glass (usually referred to as optical glass), colored optical glass, radiation-resistant optical glass, radiation protection glass, and optical quartz glass. Optical glass has a high degree of transparency, a high degree of chemical and physical (structure and performance) uniformity, and has specific and precise optical constants. It can be divided into silicate, borate, phosphate, fluoride, and chalcogenide series. There are many varieties, mainly classified according to their position in the refractive index (nD)-Abbe value (VD) diagram. Traditionally, all types of glass with nD>1.60, VD>50, and nD<1.60, VD>55 are designated as crown (K) glass, and the other types of glass are designated as flint (F) glass. Crown glass is generally used as a convex lens, and flint glass is used as a concave lens. Usually, crown glass belongs to the alkali-containing borosilicate system, light crown glass belongs to the aluminosilicate system, heavy crown glass and barium flint glass belong to the alkali-free borosilicate system, and most flint glass belongs to the lead potassium silicate system. system. With the continuous expansion of the application field of optical glass, its variety is constantly expanding, and its composition includes almost all the elements in the periodic table.
An inorganic glassy material that transmits light through refraction, reflection, and transmission, or changes the intensity or spectral distribution of light through absorption. It has stable optical properties and high optical uniformity.
Classification of optical glass:
- Radiation-proof optical glass
It has a large absorption capacity for high-energy radiation. There are high-lead glass and CaO-B2O2 system glass. The former can prevent γ-ray and X-ray radiation, and the latter can absorb slow neutrons and thermal neutrons. , Mainly used in the nuclear industry, medical field, etc. as shielding and peeping window materials.
Irradiation-resistant optical glass: Under certain γ-ray and X-ray irradiation, the transmittance of the visible area changes less, and the variety and grade are the same as colorless optical glass. It is used to manufacture optical instruments and peep windows under high-energy radiation.
- Colored optical glass
It has selective absorption and transmission performance for specific wavelengths in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared regions. According to the spectral characteristics, it is divided into three types: selective absorption, cut-off, and neutral gray; according to the coloring mechanism, it is divided into ion coloring, metal colloid coloring, and sulfur selenium There are three types of chemical coloring, which are mainly used in the manufacture of optical filters.
- Ultraviolet and infrared optical glass
It has a specific optical constant and high transmittance in the ultraviolet or infrared band and is used as an ultraviolet or infrared optical instrument or as a window material.
- Optical quartz glass
With silica as the main component, it has the characteristics of high-temperature resistance, low expansion coefficient, high mechanical strength, and good chemical properties. It is used to manufacture prisms, lenses, windows, and mirrors that have special requirements for transmission in various wavelengths. In addition, there are also photomasks, liquid crystal display panels, and thin-plate glass used in the manufacture of large-scale integrated circuits; magneto-optical glass in which the polarization plane rotates when light passes through the glass along the direction of magnetic force; light passes through in a certain direction Acousto-optic glass with light diffraction, reflection, convergence or light frequency shift occurs when ultrasonic glass is used.
