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Here is a brief overview of dichroic glass and how it is made.... The brilliant dichroic optical properties of dichroic glass are the result of multiple micro-layers of metal oxides. These thin layers of oxides have a total thickness of three to five millionths of an inch. NASA developed dichroic glass for use in satellite mirrors. Multiple ultra-thin layers of different metals (gold, silver, titanium, chromium, aluminium, zirconium, magnesium, silicon) are applied to the surface of the glass in a vacuum chamber.The resulting plate of dichroic glass can then be fused with other glass in multiple firings. Certain wavelengths of light will either pass through or be reflected, causing an array of colour to be visible. Due to variations in the firing process, individual results can never be exactly reproduced; each piece of fused dichroic glass is unique and no two pieces are ever the same.
The word "dichroic" is derived from two Greek roots, "di" for two and "chroma" for color. So "dichroic" literally means "two-colored", especially when viewed from different angles or from transmitted to reflected light. This bi-colored effect is produced by a process called "thin film physics". Thin-film physics also explains rainbows in soap bubbles, the swirling colors in a thin layer of oil floating on water, and the vibrant iridescent reflections on a dragonfly's wings. To make dichroic glass, metallic oxides (such as titanium, silicon, and magnesium) are heated in a vacuum chamber to very high temperatures, using a high-voltage electron beam, until they are vaporized and deposited onto the surface of glass. The thickness of the oxide on the glass is determined by time and temperature.
Dichroic glass is a high-tech spin-off of the space industry. It was developed for the laser industry but it has become one of the most popular materials used by glass artists today. The brilliance of dichroic glass in natural light or sunlight is truly amazing. Pictures just do not do justice to the depth and play of color. There are many challenges involved in using dichroic glass to make art glass jewelry, not to mention cost. Once a raw sheet of dichroic glass is fused, its characteristics will change yet again with the new colors shifting towards the blue end of the spectrum.