Recently, the Korean company STI has successfully realized the local mass production of fused silica glass materials, which is expected to have a certain impact on the quartz glass market such as semiconductors and displays.
The president of STI claimed that the results of the project were jointly developed with South Korean Ceramic Engineering Technology Corporation. Although quartz glass was not included in the Japan ’s trade-restricted product classification, the 96% share of the Korean market is currently occupied by Japanese companies and forms absolute Monopoly, such as Momentive,Shin-Etsu Chemical, Nikon, Tosoh and other companies.
Fused silica is very different from ordinary glass, the composition is almost pure silica, high temperature resistance, low expansion coefficient, thermal shock resistance, chemical stability and electrical insulation performance, and can transmit ultraviolet and infrared rays. In addition to the semiconductor and display markets, it is also a necessary material for the micro-fabrication of next-generation chips and can also be used in high-end applications such as defense and aerospace.