Introduction
Due to its exceptional optical and thermal properties, high-purity quartz (typically ≥ 99.99% silicon dioxide (SiO2)) is mainly used in the production of high-performance optical devices and a variety of high-tech products in the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. However, its purity is critical because the presence of impurities can greatly impact the electrical properties and performance in the final products. It is therefore imperative to accurately measure the trace-element content in high-purity quartz for quality control.
This work demonstrates the ability of the Avio® 220 Max hybrid simultaneous ICP-OES to measure impurities in high-purity quartz in accordance with China standard GB/T 32649-2016 (“High Purity Arenaceous Quartz Used in Photovoltaic Applications”), where the total amount of impurity elements in high-purity quartz must be ≤ 25 µg/g, of which the sum of Li, K and Na should be less than 2.5 µg/g. A total of 16 elements (the 13 in GB/T 23469-2016 plus Ba, Co, and Zr, as these are also commonly requested) were determined, demonstrating the robustness and high sensitivity of the Avio 220 Max ICP-OES instrument for this application.