SiO2 – this is the chemical name of the base material for oscillating quartz crystals. The formula shows that it is composed of only two elements: silicon and oxygen. We also find SiO2 in its crystalline form in the nature: as natural rock crystals. Here, the question arises:
SiO2 – 这是用于产生振荡信号的石英晶体的化学名称。该公式表明它仅由两种元素组成：硅和氧。我们还在自然界中发现了晶体形式的 SiO2—天然水晶。这里，问题来了：
Are real rock crystals used for production of oscillating quartz crystals? 真正的水晶是否可以用来制造石英晶体谐振器？
Let’s take a closer look at the first steps in the quartz production:
让我们仔细看看石英晶体生产的第一步：
Real rock crystals once formed the basis of quartz crystals. However, for the economic production of the components, highly pure rock crystals are needed. At the beginning of quartz production, real rock crystals were used and, therefore, examined and sorted by hand according to their purity. In this form, however, rock crystals are rarely available in nature.
真正的水晶曾经构成石英晶体的基础。然而，为了经济生产这些材料，我们需要高纯度的水晶体。在石英晶体生产之初，曾经使用真正的水晶，因此需要根据其纯度来手工检查和分类。可见，高纯度晶体在自然界中很少见。
The artificial quartz production 关于人造石英晶体的生产
In order to meet the quality requirements for the quartz material, quartz crystals are nowadays produced artificially in so-called ‘autoclaves’. The autoclaves work according to the principle of hydrothermal synthesis. Broken crystal fragments are dissolved in an alkaline solvent. Thus, crystals can be grown in a controlled manner. The autoclave is sealed hermetically and is heating up to temperatures of 350 °C to 400 °C. It works with pressures around 1500 bar. Artificial crystals have a regular lattice of SiO2 – a good condition for high-quality quartz crystals.
为了满足石英材料的质量要求，现在在所谓的“高压灭菌器”中人工生产石英晶体。高压灭菌器根据水热合成原理工作。破碎的晶体碎片溶解在碱性溶剂中。因此，晶体可以以受控的方式生长。高压灭菌器是密封的，加热温度可达 350 °C 至 400 °C。 它的工作压力约为 1500 bar。其优势就是人造晶体具有规则的 SiO2 晶格——这是高质量石英晶体的良好条件。
Synthetic quartz crystals are produced in autoclaves.
How the quartz crystal grows 石英晶体是如何生长的
The lower part of the autoclave, the pressure vessel, is filled with water, mineralizer additives and SiO2. So-called ‘seed crystals’ are placed in the upper part. In the autoclave, the temperature rises. It is heated from the bottom, so that there is a temperature difference between the lower and upper chambers. The parts dissolved in the lower area settle on the seed crystals. The growth rate is determined by temperature and pressure. Depending on the values, a growth of the quartz of 0.2 to 1 mm per day is possible. The slower the growth, the higher the quality of the result.
高压灭菌器的下部，即压力容器，充满了水、矿化剂添加剂和 SiO2。所谓的“种子晶体”被放置在上部。在高压灭菌器中，温度升高。它从底部加热，因此下室和上室之间存在温差。溶解在下部区域的部分沉淀在种子晶体上。生长速度由温度和压力决定。根据这些值，石英晶体每天可以增长0.2至1毫米。石英晶体的增长越慢，其质量就越高。
The autoclave is heated from the bottom.
After about 40 to 80 days, the ‘alpha’ crystal is produced, which can even weigh several kilos. In the next step, individual blanks are cut out of the quartz wafers. Here, different cutting angles have to be considered. The seedling is also cut out in the process and is used again for quartz production in the autoclave.
大约40到80天后，会产生“阿尔法”晶体，其重量甚至可以重达几公斤。在下一步中，从石英毛坯中切出单个晶片。在这里，必须考虑不同的切割角度。晶体幼苗也在此过程中被切下，并再次被用于高压灭菌器中的石英生产。
It takes 40 to 80 days until the alpha crystals are produced.
