High-purity quartz, a material with silicon dioxide (SiO2) as its main component, plays a vital role in strategic emerging industries such as the new materials industry and the energy-saving and environmental protection industry. Especially in the field of new energy, the application of high-purity quartz has not only promoted the development of the industry, but also profoundly affected the market structure of the industry.
At present, with the vigorous promotion of new energy industries such as photovoltaics, and the rapid development of new-generation information and communication science and technology (ICT), such as cloud computing, big data, intelligent manufacturing and 5G, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is being accelerated.
In this context, the development of strategic emerging industries such as photovoltaics, semiconductors, and optical fiber communications has become the key to solving China’s current industrial development dilemma. High-purity quartz sand, with its excellent chemical stability, outstanding high insulation withstand voltage performance and extremely low volume expansion coefficient, plays an important role as an indispensable mineral raw material in these high-tech fields, especially in the field of new energy.
Photovoltaic industry
Photovoltaic is the abbreviation of solar power generation system. As a sustainable green industry, photovoltaic is an important industry in the field of new energy and has always attracted much attention. Its application cost has been greatly reduced in recent years and is now rapidly popularizing in the civilian field. In the photovoltaic field, high-purity quartz is mainly used to produce quartz crucibles in the crystalline silicon industry chain. Quartz crucibles are widely used in the production of single crystal/polycrystalline silicon due to their good thermal stability and pollution-free characteristics.
Semiconductor industry
The semiconductor industry is the foundation of the global information industry, and the widespread application of semiconductor products has promoted the advent of the information and intelligent era. The semiconductor industry is another major application area for high-purity quartz. High-purity quartz materials are key consumables in the semiconductor manufacturing process, used for wafer carriers, cleaning containers, and the manufacture of high-precision glass masks. With the development of innovative technologies such as the Internet of Things, blockchain, automotive electronics, unmanned driving, 5G, AR/VR and AI, the semiconductor industry is expected to maintain a high level of prosperity, and the demand for high-purity quartz will continue to grow.
Fiber Optic Communication
Fiber optic communication is a communication technology that uses light waves to transmit information in optical fibers. It has the advantages of high speed, large capacity, low loss, strong anti-interference ability, and high security. It is an important part of modern communication networks.
In the field of fiber optic communication, high-purity quartz glass is the main consumable material in the production of optical fiber preforms and optical fiber drawing. Quartz glass has an extremely low refractive index, a small absorption coefficient, and a wide light transmission band, which is very suitable for optical fiber manufacturing. With the increase in global demand for high-speed and large-capacity communications, the demand for high-purity quartz in the fiber optic communication industry is also expanding.
Of course, with the continuous development of the new energy industry and the continuous advancement of technology, the application of high-purity quartz in the fields of new energy and emerging industries will become more extensive and in-depth. On the one hand, the demand for high-purity quartz in industries such as photovoltaics, semiconductors and optical fiber communications will continue to grow; on the other hand, with the continuous breakthroughs in purification technology and the reduction of costs, the supply of high-purity quartz is also expected to gradually increase.