Quartz vs. Sapphire

Do I need quartz or sapphire in my particle counting system?

  • Remote LPC right angle Quartz flow cell sensors are optimized for signal to noise and therefore have the best mean time between clean (MTBC) and mean time to fail (MTTF) of any LPC technology currently available at these sensitivities. Remote LPC Quartz flow cell sensors have a projected laser lifetime well in excess of 10 years.
  • Remote LPC right angle Sapphire flow cell sensors can be used with nearly all process chemicals including HF.
  • NanoCount sensors utilize extremely low cosmic ray noise technology to provide the most precise measurements available in UPW and other ultraclean applications.

Quartz (SiO2)

Quartz is a transparent hardened glass with a hardness = 7 on the Mohs scale. It is resistant to non-fluorinated acids and solvents. The benefits are that it is transparent, and requires a less intensive laser beam to detect particles.

Accepted Chemicals for use with Lighthouse’s Quartz flow cell

Chemicals that can be used with the Remote LPC 0.2

Chemical Symbol
Water H2O
Deionized Water H2O, DI H2O
Nitric Acid 70% HNO3, 70%
Sulphuric Acid 96% H2SO4
Hydrochloric Acid 37% HCL
Ammonium Hydroxide 29% NH4OH
Hydrogen Peroxide 30% H2O2
Phosphoric Acid 86% H3PO4
Isopropyl Alchohol IPA
Acetone C3H6O
N-methyl Perryiodine NMP

Sapphire (AL2O3)

Sapphire has a slight pinkish hue with a Mohs hardness level = 9. Sapphire is highly resistant to corrosion, it is the best choice for use in liquid particle counting applications where HF and other highly corrosive chemicals are analyzed. Sapphire is more expensive than Quartz.

Accepted Chemicals for use with Lighthouse’s Sapphire flow cell

Chemicals that can be used 

Chemical Symbol
Water H20
Hydrofluoric Acid 50% HF 50%
Deionized Water H20, DI H20
Hydrofluoric Acid 5% HF 5%
Nitric Acid 70% HNO3 70%
Hydrofluoric Acid 0.5% HF 0.5%
Sulphuric Acid 96% H2SO4
Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide TMAH
Hydrochloric Acid 37% HCL
Potassium Hydroxide KOH
Ammonium Hydroxide 29% NH4OH
N-methyl Perryiodine NMP
Hydrogen Peroxide 30% H2O2 Acetone C3H6O
Phosphoric Acid 86% H3PO4
Isopropyl Alcohol IPA