Transparent Lithium-Aluminum-Silicate Glass-Ceramics (Overview)

Methods of laser micro- and nano-modification of the structure of transparent dielectrics offer much for the creation of a new type of glass-crystalline materials and new applications. In the present work, after a brief excursion into the history of glass-ceramics, transparent aluminosilicate sitalls [glass-ceramics] are discussed, mainly for the example of the Li₂O–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ system, and the areas of their new applications. The recently discovered possibilities of laser micro-modification of the structure of sitalls and the writing of elements of photonics and integrated optics in their interior volume are considered. Special attention is given to transparent glass-ceramics with thermal expansion coefficient close to zero.