Abstract
Silicon dioxide exists in both crystalline and glassy forms. The most common crystalline form is that of -quartz. Synthetic quartz crystals, free of twinning and other imperfections, are used extensively in electronic applications. The hydrothermal processing techniques used to synthesize commercial quantities of high purity quartz crystals are discussed. The reasons for using synthetic quartz as timing control and piezoelectric devices are presented.
Keywords: Silicon dioxide; Crystals; alpha-Quartz; Piezolelectric effect; Ferroelectrics