In-Situ Observation and Quantitative Evaluation of Dendritic Silver Precipitates Growth inside Borosilicate Glass Substrate

The high-voltage application to silver ion-doped borosilicate glass induces the growth of silver dendritic crystals precipitation inside the substrate. This phenomenon holds significant potential for applications such as buried electric circuits and fine-hole drilling. Therefore, understanding the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is essential for its practical utilization. In this study, we conducted in-situ observation and quantitative evaluation of the silver dendrite growth based on the temperature and the precipitation area over time. The measurements revealed that the growth rate accelerated as the precipitation progressed and increased with higher temperatures. Moreover, a model proposed here explained that these changes were attributed to the variations in the electrical resistance of the specimens and difference in the flux of the silver ions. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanism of silver dendritic precipitate growth inside glass, enabling the formation of arbitrary shapes of in-glass silver.