METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE CONCENTRATION OF AN ADDITIONAL COMPONENT IN A BODY MADE OF CERAMIC OR GLASS MATERIAL

Description

Technical background

[0001] The invention relates to a method for determining the concentration of an additional component in a body made of glassy material, comprising measuring the optical path length or the signal propagation time of a measuring wave penetrating the body made of glassy material in a measuring direction.

[0002] The chemical nature of a body made of glass depends on its intended use. For example, it consists partially or entirely of a glass, particularly quartz glass. Quartz glass is defined here as doped or undoped silica glass with an SiO2 content of at least 85%. The glass is porous, transparent, opaque, colored, and can even be black.

[0003] The geometric shape of the body made of glassy material also depends on its intended use. It serves, for example, as a component or semi-finished product for the production of optical fibers, in lamp manufacturing, in chemical apparatus construction, or in semiconductor manufacturing. It is available in the form of tubes, solid cylinders, plates, flanges, rings, blocks, bulbs, cover plates, reflectors, reflector supports, mirror substrate blanks, lens support racks, bell jars, crucibles, protective shields, reactors, and apparatus.

[0004] The physical and chemical properties of the material are influenced by unwanted impurities and intentionally added dopants. Such impurities and dopants are also referred to below as "additional components." Additional components in quartz glass include hydroxyl groups (OH), chlorine (Cl), fluorine (F), and metallic elements (Ge, B, P, Al, Ti, Fe, etc.). Hydroxyl groups, for example, produce an absorption band in the infrared range, but can also improve the radiation resistance of quartz glass to UV radiation. Doping quartz glass with titanium dioxide up to 8 wt.% reduces the thermal expansion coefficient.

[0005] A particularly important property of such glassy bodies is their refractive index and its spatial distribution. For example, the radial refractive index profile of a fiber preform determines the waveguide properties of the optical fiber drawn from it. Many additional components affect the refractive index. Fluorine is a dopant that reduces the refractive index of quartz glass. State of the art

[0006] Spectroscopic methods such as infrared or Raman spectroscopy are often used to characterize glass materials, and in particular to determine the concentration of an additional component in glassy bodies. These methods evaluate the absorption or scattering of electromagnetic waves in or on a sample. Raman measurements, in particular, require significant adjustment effort. A particular disadvantage, however, is that samples of a specific size must usually be taken from the glassy body and undergo complex preparation.

[0007] This disadvantage is avoided by a non-destructive measurement method that uses sound or ultrasonic waves. The determination of the concentration of the additional component is based on the evaluation of the superposition of sound waves that at least partially penetrate the body made of glassy material with other sound waves that do not penetrate the body made of glassy material or only penetrate it for a shorter distance.

[0008] The measurement procedure is described in the article by Wei, Ting-Cun "Acoustic properties of silica glass doped with fluorine", Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 321 (2003), pp. 126-133.

[0009] Quartz glass samples with various fluorine concentrations are examined using ultrasonic measurements (LSAW; leaky surface acoustic wave). It is shown that the propagation speed of the ultrasonic waves in the quartz glass body decreases linearly with increasing fluorine concentration. Measuring or calculating the propagation speed of the ultrasonic waves in the quartz glass body therefore allows the determination of the fluorine concentration. The propagation speed of the ultrasonic waves is determined based on the interference of pulsed tone burst signals with and without transduction of the sample. Water is used as a coupling medium to couple the ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducer into the measuring body.

[0010] US 2017 / 031006 A1 describes an optical method for detecting damage, material changes, or contamination on a turbine blade and other components made of metal or ceramic. For this purpose, the phase and / or amplitude change of a reflected measuring beam is evaluated against a reference beam unaffected by the workpiece using "vector network analysis." The frequency range of the measuring beam is in the radio frequency, RF frequency, or microwave frequency range.

[0011] DE 10 2013 225306 A1 discloses a method for determining the concentration of an additional component in a body of ceramic particles by means of microwave radiation. Technical task

[0012] In principle, even large-volume bodies made of glassy material can be measured non-destructively using ultrasound. However, coupling the ultrasonic waves requires complex coupling technology or at least a coupling medium, such as a water bath surrounding the glass body. This prevents or at least complicates measurement during the production process.

[0013] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a non-destructive method for determining a concentration of an additional component in a body made of vitreous material, which method is also suitable for measurement in the production process of the body in question. Summary of the invention

[0014] This object is achieved by the method claimed in claim 1.

[0015] Gigahertz radiation, as defined by the invention, covers the frequency range between 20 and 300 gigahertz (GHz). This radiation is capable of penetrating a body made of glassy material, regardless of its chemical nature and internal structure, such as porosity, density, and color, without causing a change in the material's properties. However, the radiation itself undergoes a change in the glass, which can be determined as a change in the transit time of a measuring beam compared to the reference beam unaffected by the material. The change in transit time arises, for example, from the material possessing a magneto-optical, electro-optical, thermo-optical, or chemo-optical property that causes the incident gigahertz radiation to change, manifesting itself as a change in transit time.It has been shown that the change in running time depends particularly on the chemical composition of the material, so that the concentration of each ingredient can be determined while the structure and composition of the material remain otherwise constant.

[0016] The method according to the invention thus determines the propagation time difference of measuring waves, similar to ultrasonic wave measurements, but unlike this method, a coupling medium is not required. This enables non-destructive measurement of the body made of glassy material, even during its manufacturing process.

[0017] The use of modulated gigahertz radiation reduces the effort required for sample preparation and eliminates the need for sample collection. Thus, the measurement and evaluation effort is minimal compared to the spectroscopic analysis methods mentioned above.

[0018] The method according to the invention therefore combines the evaluation of transit time differences from the known ultrasound measurement, but uses electromagnetic radiation instead of sound waves, as in spectroscopic analysis methods. It therefore avoids the respective disadvantages of the known methods, particularly with regard to sample preparation and the need for coupling media.

[0019] In the method according to the invention, one or more transmitters are provided for emitting the gigahertz radiation, which usually passes through a beam optics system, by means of which the gigahertz radiation is directed onto the body made of glassy material. The gigahertz radiation is reflected by the body made of glassy material and / or by a reflector arranged opposite the transmitter in the radiation direction, and the reflected radiation is received by at least one receiver. Instead of measuring reflected radiation, a transmitter-receiver pair can also be positioned opposite each other on the body made of glassy material to be measured, so that the gigahertz radiation transmitted by the body is measured directly.

[0020] The travel times can be measured using radiation pulses that can be "localized" in time, or by modulating continuous-wave radiation (CW radiation) to imprint a time stamp. The time of the measurement signal received at the receiver is transmitted to an evaluation device, which determines the travel time. The travel time of gigahertz radiation passing through the glassy body being measured is compared with the travel time of radiation that does not pass through the body. The change in travel time thus determined, caused by the material of the glassy body, is a measure of the concentration of the additional component. The comparison of the travel times thus yields the concentration of the additional component. The modulation imprints markers on the CW radiation for determining the travel time.

[0021] The gigahertz radiation that does not pass through the body can, for example, be radiation that is reflected by the body or gigahertz radiation in whose beam path the body made of glassy material is not positioned or gigahertz radiation whose propagation speed is known, so that the propagation time can be determined without further measurement simply from the knowledge of the length of the free path and the filling medium (e.g. air).

[0022] In this variant of the method, the distance between the transmitter and the opposite receiver or between the transmitter and receiver unit and the reflector is known, so that the change in the propagation speed caused by the material of the body made of glassy material can be determined based on the known propagation speed of the gigahertz radiation (in air).

[0023] The transmitter and receiver can be combined in a single component and positioned at virtually the same location, keeping them at the same distance from the glassy body at all times, simplifying time-of-flight measurement. Such a component is called a "transceiver."

[0024] The case of unaffected back reflection of electromagnetic radiation from a reflecting object with identical positions of transmitter and receiver (transceiver) is shown schematically in Figure 1 The electromagnetic radiation emitted by the transmitting unit of the transceiver T passes through the free air path to the reflecting object O twice before being detected again by the receiving unit of the transceiver T. The following relationship then generally applies between the propagation time t and the distance R to the reflecting object O: R = c 0 x t / 2

[0025] With: R = distance between transceiver and reflector c 0 = speed of light in air [m / s] t = travel time [s]

[0026] Figure 2 schematically shows the case where a sample P is located in the beam path, which changes the propagation velocity of the electromagnetic radiation. Compared to the time of flight t used in equation (1), this results in a change in the propagation velocity |Δt p |, from which the propagation velocity cp of the electromagnetic radiation in the sample can be calculated according to equation (2). c p = R 2 / R 2 / c 0 + Δtp

[0027] With: R1, R3 = distance in air R2 = sample dimensions cp = radiation propagation speed in the sample |Δt p | = change in transit time

[0028] The propagation velocity cp is a measure of the material of the sample and in particular of its material constants, which depend on the chemical composition and density.

[0029] The radiation optics comprise, for example, one or more lenses that focus gigahertz radiation emitted by the at least one transmitter onto a central axis of the glassy body to be measured. This allows glassy bodies with different lateral dimensions to be measured without the need to adjust the measuring device or the radiation optics.

[0030] Alternatively, the radiation optics can also include a collimator, whereby the gigahertz radiation emitted by the transmitter is guided through the glassy body as a parallel beam. This has the advantage that changes in the position of the glassy body perpendicular to the beam direction have little influence on the measurement result.

[0031] The method according to the invention can be used for measuring a body made of a glass with a high silicic acid content, in particular of quartz glass, wherein the additional component comprises hydroxyl groups, hydrogen, a metal oxide and / or a halogen, and wherein the additional component is preferably fluorine.

[0032] The quartz glass body can also be in the form of a so-called "soot body" made of porous, slightly compacted SiO2 soot, which is a semi-finished product for the production of preforms for optical fibers or other products made of high-purity, synthetic quartz glass. Bodies made of glassy material that absorb visible light or infrared radiation can also be measured using the method according to the invention, since gigahertz radiation is capable of penetrating such bodies at a layer thickness sufficiently large for measurement.

[0033] This applies equally to opaque, porous glass, especially opaque quartz glass, as well as to titanium-containing glass used for the production of mirror substrate blanks with a low thermal expansion coefficient.

[0034] The gigahertz radiation is modulated, for example, by modulating the phase and / or amplitude and / or frequency and / or effective wavelength and / or wavefront. However, the gigahertz radiation is particularly preferably periodically frequency-modulated; for example, and preferably, frequency-modulated continuous wave radar, so-called FMCW radiation, is used.

[0035] Periodic frequency modulation can comprise one or more frequency bursts. A given frequency range can be scanned one or more times.

[0036] Preferably, the body made of glassy material is penetrated by the gigahertz radiation from different measuring directions, whereby a respective optical path length or a respective signal propagation time is determined for each measuring direction.

[0037] In this case, the body made of glassy material is penetrated by gigahertz radiation from one or more transmitters in different directions, which is received by one or more receivers and converted into electrical signals, whereby the propagation times of the gigahertz radiation are measured and a spatial distribution of the concentration of the additional component is obtained from the propagation times of the gigahertz radiation.

[0038] For example, the transmitter and receiver can be arranged opposite each other. Multiple transmitters and receivers can also be arranged in pairs around the circumference of the glassy body. Each pair of transmitters and receivers can be configured as a transceiver, with multiple transceivers distributed around the circumference of the glassy body to be measured.

[0039] The glassy body can be rotated along its central axis relative to the receiver-transmitter pair. In a preferred method variant, however, the glassy body is stationary relative to at least one transmitter for the gigahertz radiation, with the transmitter being moved around the glassy body to determine a three-dimensional profile of the additional component concentration.

[0040] Alternatively, and particularly preferably, at least one pair of a receiver and a transmitter is rotated around the longitudinal axis or a virtual central axis of the glassy body during a measurement process. The transmitter and receiver pair can, in turn, be a transceiver. By rotating around the glassy body to be measured, multiple pairs of transmitters and receivers can be simulated. In this way, the concentration of the additional component can be determined with spatial resolution.

[0041] The movement of the transmitter around a virtual central axis around the glassy body is usually also followed by the radiation optics. The reflector can be designed to completely surround the glassy body, so that in this case, movement of the reflector around the rotation axis is not necessary.

[0042] In order to avoid multiple reflections that can interfere with the measurement result, the distance between the surface of the body made of glassy material and the transmitter or receiver is preferably larger or smaller than the dimension of the body in the main radiation direction of the gigahertz radiation. Example

[0043] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment and a drawing. The drawing shows in detail Figure 1 a sketch for determining a distance between a transceiver for gigahertz radiation and a reflector Figure 2 the sketch of Figure 1 with a sample in the beam path of the electromagnetic radiation, Figure 3a device for spatially measuring a cylindrical body with continuous wave radar radiation in a schematic representation, wherein (b) shows a longitudinal view, (a) a front view and (c) a rear view, Figure 4 a diagram showing refractive index profiles for electromagnetic radiation at a frequency of 80 GHz, which were determined by measuring a cylindrical quartz glass body with continuous wave radar radiation, and Figure 5 a diagram showing the fluorine concentration in a quartz glass body averaged over the wall thickness of a hollow cylinder as a function of an average refractive index for electromagnetic radiation with a frequency of 80 GHz.

[0044] The method according to the invention serves to determine the concentration of an additional component in a body made of glassy material, in particular a cylindrical optical object, such as a preform for optical fibers made of quartz glass.

[0045] Figure 3 shows a schematic embodiment of a device suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention. The body made of glassy material is in the form of a hollow cylinder 1 made of quartz glass. This cylinder rests on several sample supports 2 evenly distributed along its length, each equipped with lifting and lowering devices 3, by means of which the sample support 2 can be moved vertically upwards into a support position and downwards into a release position, as indicated by the directional arrows 11.

[0046] A linear guide 4 for a commercially available radar measuring device 5, designed as a circular ring, extends above the hollow cylinder 1. The circular ring 8 surrounds a central opening 7 that is larger than the outer diameter of the hollow cylinder 1. The radar measuring device 5 is mounted on the linear guide 4 such that the central axis of the central opening 7 and the longitudinal axis 6 of the hollow cylinder 1 are coaxial with each other. Therefore, the radar measuring device 5 can be moved along the longitudinal axis 6 of the hollow cylinder 1 by means of the linear guide 4.

[0047] The radar device 5 comprises a transmitter for emitting frequency-modulated radar radiation at a frequency of 80 GHz and a receiver for this radiation, which are combined in the form of a transceiver. The transceiver, together with a radiation optics system, can be moved within the circular ring 8 along a circular path around the central axis, as indicated by the directional arrow 10. The radiation optics system serves to focus the radar beam onto the central axis and thus also onto the hollow cylinder's longitudinal axis 6. The width of the annular gap 9 between the transceiver (circular ring 8) and the outer shell of the hollow cylinder 1 is known. The transmitter and receiver are connected to an evaluation and control device (not shown).

[0048] To determine the fluorine concentration in the quartz glass of the hollow cylinder 1 to be measured, the propagation times of the radar radiation are determined using the radar device 5. The propagation speed of the radar radiation emitted by the transmitter is delayed to varying degrees depending on the material constants of the quartz glass, which influence the refractive index.

[0049] In order to exclude the influence of other material constants that would interfere with the fluorine concentration measurement, a calibration measurement is carried out on a standard body made of quartz glass for which the fluorine concentration is known and which otherwise does not differ from the quartz glass of the hollow cylinder 1 to be measured.

[0050] The propagation speed (or the travel time of the radar waves) determined using the standard body can be easily compared with the corresponding travel time measurement using the hollow cylinder 1 to be measured and, if necessary, with a travel time measurement without an irradiated sample.

[0051] The outer diameter of the hollow cylinder 1 is determined with an accuracy of less than 10 µm and entered into the evaluation and control device. In the exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter averaged over the length is 201.60 mm, and the width of the annular gap 9 is 24.2 mm.

[0052] The wall thickness of the hollow cylinder 1 can be determined using generally known tactile or optical measuring methods. A particularly elegant measurement method, however, involves determining the wall thickness (R2) of the hollow cylinder using the same radar measuring technology. This method involves evaluating the radar radiation reflected back to the receiver by a reflector from the inner and outer walls of the cylinder (with and without a sample). From the measurement data transmitted by the transceiver and the known wall thickness of the hollow cylinder, the evaluation and control device determines the propagation speed of the radar waves, or rather the difference in propagation speeds with and without the hollow cylinder 1 in the beam path. The difference in propagation time allows conclusions to be drawn about the material constants of the quartz glass of the hollow cylinder 1.

[0053] In particular, for hollow cylinders 1 made of quartz glass with unknown but different fluorine concentrations, the concentration of this dopant can be determined using the above equations (1) and (2), provided that all other material constants influencing the propagation speed of the radar waves remain unchanged.

[0054] By rotating the radar source 5 around the longitudinal axis 6, an averaged refractive index is obtained for different azimuthal directions (angles), i.e. an overall azimuthal profile of the propagation velocity at each axial position of the radar source 5, which can be converted into an azimuthal refractive index profile at the measuring wavelength.

[0055] The diagram of Figure 4shows the azimuthal refractive index profiles determined in this way for six hollow cylinders 1 made of quartz glass with varying fluorine doping (the images are taken from approximately the center of the respective hollow cylinders). The ordinate shows the refractive index n plotted against the angle of incidence α (in degrees). Accordingly, all hollow cylinders P1 to P6 exhibit a roughly uniform azimuthal refractive index profile at different levels. Column 3 of Table 1 lists the respective mean refractive index values.

[0056] The fluorine concentrations CF of samples P1 to P6 were determined using the analytical method described above using ultrasonic waves. In the diagram of Figure 5The mean values ​​of the refractive index n are plotted against the fluorine concentrations CF (in ppm by weight). This shows that there is an approximately linear relationship between the fluorine concentrations CF and the refractive index. Column 2 of Table 1 lists the respective measured fluorine concentrations CF. Thus, based on a simple calibration measurement, each mean refractive index value can be assigned a specific fluorine concentration. Table 1 sample CF [wt. ppm] n (at 80 GHz) P1 0 1,9523 P2 5.500 1,9485 P3 14.500 1,9415 P4 10.500 1,9445 P5 2.440 1,9511 P6 11.420 1,9438

[0057] By translating the radar source 5 along the hollow cylinder's longitudinal axis 6 in the direction of the directional arrow 10, an axial profile of the fluorine concentration in the hollow cylinder 1 is obtained. The sample supports 2 are controlled such that they are moved from the support position to the release position as soon as the radar source 5 passes their position.

Claims

1. A method for determining the concentration of an additional component in a body made of glassy material, comprising measuring the difference between the optical path length or the signal propagation time of a measuring wave penetrating the body made of glassy material in a measuring direction and the optical path length or the signal propagation time of a comparison measuring wave which does not penetrate the body made of glassy material, characterized in that modulated gigahertz radiation is used as the measuring wave, which covers the frequency range between 20 and 300 gigahertz, in that the body consists of a glass with a high silicic acid content, and in that the additional component is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl groups, hydrogen, a metal oxide and / or a halogen.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the body is made of quartz glass, wherein the additional component is fluorine.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gigahertz radiation is frequency modulated.

4. The method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the body made of glassy material is penetrated by the gigahertz radiation from different measuring directions, wherein a relevant optical path length or a relevant signal propagation time is determined for each measuring direction.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the body made of glassy material is stationary in relation to at least one transmitter for the gigahertz radiation, wherein the transmitter is moved around the body made of glassy material to determine a three-dimensional profile of the additional component concentration.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the distance between the surface of the body made of glassy material and the transmitter or a receiver is greater or smaller than the dimension of the body lying in the main radiation direction of the gigahertz radiation.