Production and Applications of Synthetic Quartz

Abstract

Development of quartz industry in these 100 years, in the synthetic production and in application of quartz crystals, is surveyed briefly. Due to the discovery of piezoelectricity in 1880 by J. & P. Curie, the invention of a quartz resonator in 1921 by W. G. Cady, etc., it had been shown that quartz crystal can be used as a superior device material for electric wave telecommunication. After World War II ended, the civil use of quartz devices increased rapidly, in addition to the past military use. The study for large-scale industrial production of synthetic quartz was started first in the United States, and then spread out in other countries. In this development of synthetic quartz, the temperature-difference growth method that is used now was established. Large-sized quartz crystals of good quality (20–25 mm (X-direction) × 30–35 mm (Z-direction)) came to be obtained by around 1970, and now further large and good-quality crystals are produced. As another remarkable development in the quartz industry, the manufacture and spread of high precision quartz watch and clock should also be mentioned. Industry of synthetic quartz is progressing even now, and quartz devices are used in various places of our every-day life and of social activities.