There are no industry-wide accepted terms to define unambiguously Translume's base manufacturing materials. In fact, the common terminology is often confusing and ambiguous...

Silicon Dioxide

The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is the oxide of silicon, chemical formula SiO₂.The term silicon dioxide can be applied to all physical forms of SiO₂ but it is often reserved to the thin oxide layer grown on the surface of Silicon wafers. Translume generally does not work with thin layers.

Vitreous Silica

Vitreous silica is an old term used to describe all types of bulk (by opposition to thin-film) silica glass with producers referring to the material as either fused quartz or as fused silica.

Fused Quartz and Fused Silica - Old definition

Originally, these terms were used to distinguish between transparent and opaque grades of the material. Fused quartz products were those produced from quartz crystal to make transparent ware, and fused silica described products manufactured from sand into opaque ware. Today this differentiation is obsolete, as advances in raw material manufacturing permit transparent fusions from sand as well as from crystal.

Fused Quartz - Modern definition

Today Fused Quartz is defined as a material made by melting high purity naturally occurring quartz crystal at around 2000°C using either an electrically heated furnace (electrically fused) or a gas/oxygen fuelled furnace (flame fused). Fused quartz is amorphous and non-crystalline. Residual impurities from the raw material affect Fused Quartz transparency in the ultraviolet. Translume routinely machines fused quartz.

Synthetic Fused Silica

Synthetic Fused Silica (commonly called ‘Fused Silica') is made from a silica-rich, chemical precursor, resulting in a transparent amorphous solid with an ultra-high purity and excellent optical transmission in the deep ultraviolet and visible. This material was originally called fumed silica because the high purity manufacturing process involves chemical gasification of silicon, oxidation of this gas to silicon dioxide, and thermal fusion of the resulting dust. Water vapor generated as a byproduct during the fabrication process affect Fused Silica transparency in the infrared. Translume routinely machines (synthetic) fused silica.

Crystalline Quartz

Crystalline Quartz is the naturally occurring crystalline form of silicon dioxide. It is birefringent and exhibits rotary dispersion of light rays transmitted along the crystal axis. Crystalline quartz is used extensively in a variety of polarization components. It is also used for its piezoelectric properties. Translume generally does not work with crystalline quartz.