Claims
- 1. A substantially transparent glass-ceramic whose composition lies within the SiO2—Al2O3—ZnO—K2O—Ga2O3—Na2O system and containing a ZnO crystal phase, the composition consisting essentially, in weight percent on an oxide basis, of 25-50% SiO2, 15-45% ZnO, 0-26% Al2O3, 0-25% K2O, 0-10% Na2O, 0-32% Ga2O3, a K2O+Na2O amount of greater than 10%, a Al2O3+Ga2O3 of greater than 10%, the glass ceramic microstructure containing a total ZnO crystallinity of at least 15%.
- 2. The glass-ceramic of claim 1 further including the additional optional components comprising, in weight percent on the oxide basis, of, 0-5% Li2O, 0-5% CaO, 0-5% BaO, 0-5% B2O3, 0-5% SrO, 0-10% PbO and 0-20% GeO2.
- 3. The glass-ceramic of claim 1 wherein said composition consists essentially, in weight percent on an oxide basis, of 35-45% SiO2, 15-25% Al2O3, 20-40% ZnO, 12-22% K2O, 0-30% Ga2O3, 15-30% Al2O3+Ga2O3, 0-12% Na2O, 10-25% K2O+Na2O.
- 4. The glass-ceramic of claim 1 wherein the crystals are nanocrystals and exhibit a size between about 5-20 nm.
- 5. The glass-ceramic of claim 1 wherein the crystal phase comprises between about 15-35%, by weight of ZnO hexagonal crystals.
- 6. The glass-ceramic according to claim 1, wherein said composition includes a transition metal ion selected from the group consisting of Co2+, Cr3+, Cu1+, Sn4+, Mn4+, Sb3+, Fe3+, In3+, Bi3+, Ni2+, V3+, Ta5+.
- 7. An optical element selected from the group consisting of an optical fiber, a gain or laser medium, an amplifier component, saturable absorber media, the element comprising: a transparent glass-ceramic containing a crystallinity of at least about 15% by weight of hexagonal ZnO crystals, the glass-ceramic having a composition consisting essentially, in weight percent on an oxide basis, of in weight percent on an oxide basis, of 25-50% SiO2, 15-45% ZnO, 0-26% Al2O3, 0-25% K2O, 0-10% Na2O, 0-32% Ga2O3+Na2O amount of greater than 10%, a Al2O3+Ga2O3 of greater than 10%.
- 8. The optical element of claim 7 wherein the composition further includes the additional optional constituents comprising, in weight percent on the oxide basis, of 0-5% Li2O, 0-5% CaO, 0-5% BaO, 0-5% B2O3, 0-5% SrO, 0-10% PbO and 0-20% GeO2.
- 9. The optical element of claim 7 wherein the composition consists essentially, in weight percent on an oxide basis, of 35-45% SiO2, 15-25% Al2O3, 20-40% ZnO, 12-22% K2O, 0-30% Ga2O3, 15-30% Al2O3+Ga2O3, 0-12% Na2O, 10-25% K2O+Na2O.
- 10. The optical element of claim 7 wherein the crystals are nanocrystals and exhibit a size between about 5-20 nm.
- 11. The optical element of claim 7 wherein the crystal phase comprises between about 5-35%, by weight of ZnO crystals.
- 12. The optical element of claim 7 wherein said composition includes a transition metal ion selected from the group consisting of Co2+, Cr3+, Cu1+, Sn4+, Mn4+, Sb3+, Fe3+, In3+, Bi3+, Ni2+, V3+, Ta5+.
- 13. A method of making a substantially transparent glass-ceramic whose composition lies within the SiO2—Al2O3—ZnO—K2O—Ga2O3—Na2O system and containing a ZnO crystal phase, the glass ceramic microstructure containing a total ZnO crystallinity of at least 15%, the method comprising the steps of:
e.) melting a batch for a glass having a composition consisting essentially, in weight percent on an oxide basis, of 25-50% SiO2, 15-45% ZnO, 0-26% Al2O3, 0-25% K2O, 0-10% Na2O, 0-32% Ga2O3, a K2O+Na2O amount of greater than 10%, a Al2O3+Ga2O3 of greater than 10%; f.) cooling the glass to a temperature at least below the transformation range of the glass; g.) exposing the glass to a temperature between about 550-950° C. for a period of time sufficient to cause the generation of a glass-ceramic which is substantially transparent and which contains a predominant, ZnO crystal phase crystal phase, the glass-ceramic composition within the SiO2—Al2O3—ZnO—K2O—Ga2O3—Na2O; and, h.) cooling the glass-ceramic to room temperature.
- 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the glass is exposed to a temperature of about 650-950° C. for about 1-2 hours.
- 15. The method of claim 13 wherein said composition consists essentially, in weight percent on an oxide basis, of 35-45% SiO2, 15-25% Al2O3, 20-40% ZnO, 12-22% K2O, 0-30% Ga2O3, 15-30% Al2O3+Ga2O3, 0-12% Na2O, 10-25% K2O+Na2O.
- 16. The method of claim 13 wherein said composition includes a transition metal ion selected from the group consisting of Co2+, Cr3+, Cu1+, Sn4+, Mn4+, Sb3+, Fe3+, In3+, Bi3+, Ni2+, V3+, Ta5+.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/437,294, entitled Transparent Gallate Glass-Ceramics, filed on Dec. 31, 2002.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60437294 |
Dec 2002 |
US |