Glass, Photosensitive

Name:
Glass, Photosensitive
Detailed information:
A glass containing a small amount of a photosensitive substance such as a gold, silver, or copper compound. When UV light is passed through a photographic negative onto the surface of this glass, a latent image formed within the glass is converted to a visible image made up of tiny metal particles when the glass is heated. In a special type of photosensitive glass (photosensitive opal), the metal particles of the photographic image within the glass serve as nuclei for the growth of nonmetallic crystals; crystalline growth is confined to the area of the image. These crystalline areas are dissolved much more rapidly than the adjacent glass by hydrogen fluoride. Thus, the glass can be formed into intricate shapes without the use of mechanical tools.