{"id":7768,"date":"2026-04-06T10:48:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/?p=7768"},"modified":"2026-04-06T11:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T17:16:10","slug":"inside-homeruns-uc-davis-rd-from-sand-to-fused-silica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/inside-homeruns-uc-davis-rd-from-sand-to-fused-silica\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Homerun\u2019s UC Davis R&D: From Sand to Fused Silica"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Parts 1 and 2, we explained why AI\u2019s \u201cCopper Wall\u201d is driving interest in photonics and why ultra\u2011high\u2011purity fused silica glass is such an important enabling material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 3 goes inside the lab. Here, we walk through what Homerun and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) are actually doing with Santa Maria Eterna (SME) silica sand, from femtosecond laser purification to one\u2011step Fast Joule Heating (FJH) fused silica glass and why having Professor Subhash H. Risbud lead this work matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why UC Davis \u2013 and Why Lasers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homerun\u2019s silica strategy begins with geology: high\u2011purity, low\u2011iron silica sand from our SME project in Bahia, Brazil. Independent testing by Dorfner Anzaplan confirmed that this material is suitable feedstock for fused silica using conventional multi\u2011step processing routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The question we posed next was: Can we go further?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Can we use advanced processing, in particular lasers and fast electric heating to purify silica to ultra\u2011high levels without hazardous chemicals?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Can we convert sand directly into fused silica glass in fewer steps, using electric power instead of complex chemical flowsheets?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    To explore this, Homerun partnered with the Risbud Research Group at UC Davis, a team with decades of experience at the intersection of glass, lasers and photonics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Professor Subhash H. Risbud is widely recognized for early work on femtosecond\u2011laser modification of fused silica, including the fabrication of waveguides, splitters and Mach\u2013Zehnder interferometers inside bulk glass at Photonics West 2002. That same understanding of how ultrafast lasers interact with silica is now being applied to purifying silica sand and making fused silica glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Step 1 \u2013 Femtosecond Laser Purification to Ultra<\/strong>\u2011<\/strong>Pure Silica<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The first major milestone in the UC Davis collaboration was the development of a femtosecond thermal laser processing method to purify raw silica sand to ultra\u2011high purity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Key points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • In 2024, Homerun announced that UC Davis researchers, working with raw silica from Homerun\u2019s Belmonte\/SME region, had achieved +99.99% SiO\u2082 purity (+4N) using a single\u2011step femtosecond laser thermal process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The process uses intense, tightly controlled femtosecond laser pulses to induce subtle structural and optical changes at the surface of each grain, driving off or transforming impurities without the use of chemical reagents or energy\u2011intensive mechanical processing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Professor Risbud described these as \u201cvery exciting results,\u201d noting that this was the first time a single\u2011step laser process had converted raw impure sand to 99.999% silica in as little as two hours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Building on this, Homerun later sent >99.99% SiO\u2082 silica, previously purified by the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s NREL using traditional calcination and leaching, to UC Davis to test whether femtosecond laser processing can push purity even higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      On top of the technical work, Homerun and UC Davis have filed a patent application titled \u201cProcess for obtaining high\u2011purity silica sand and the resulting product.\u201d It describes a femtosecond laser ablation\u2011based process that raises silica purity from 99.75% to above 99.99% by significantly reducing impurities such as titanium, calcium, magnesium and iron, without hazardous chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      For investors, the significance is twofold:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • It demonstrates a credible, IP\u2011backed path to ultra\u2011pure silica using advanced, reagent\u2011free processing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • It shows that our silica is not just high\u2011quality in the ground, it responds well to high\u2011end purification technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Step 2 \u2013 Fast Joule Heating: From Sand to Fused Silica Glass in One Step<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The second major R&D milestone is turning that purified silica into fused silica glass using a one\u2011step thermoelectric Fast Joule Heating (FJH) process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        In March 2026, Homerun announced that UC Davis had successfully produced fused silica glass directly from raw SME silica sand using the FJH method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        How it works (simplified):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Silica powder from SME is loaded into a \u201ctube\u2011within\u2011tube\u201d configuration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • The inner tube holds the silica; the outer tube contains a conductive medium such as graphite.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • A high\u2011voltage pulse is discharged through the conductive medium, rapidly heating it via Joule heating (electrical resistance heating).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Temperatures in the system reach around 2,000 \u00b0C, above the 1,710 \u00b0C melting point of silica, and the sand transitions to fused silica glass in seconds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          <\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Professor Risbud notes that the tube\u2011within\u2011tube design is critical, because it allows current to flow in the conductive layer while keeping the silica physically separate, sustaining high temperatures long enough to form fused silica glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          For Homerun, there are several potential advantages if this approach scales:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • No chemical reagents \u2013 the process uses only electric power and a conductive medium, generating no chemical waste stream.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Speed \u2013 melting and glass formation occur very quickly once target temperature is reached.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Flexibility \u2013 the FJH method can potentially be adapted to different atmospheres and configurations using commercially available equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            <\/div>\n\n\n\n

            The next step in the plan is to move from bench\u2011scale experiments to larger\u2011scale tests using off\u2011the\u2011shelf equipment, to evaluate how reproducible and scalable FJH is for fused silica glass production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            As with the laser purification, these results are still at the R&D and scale\u2011up stage and have not yet been independently verified. There is no guarantee that FJH will become a commercial process, but it is an important proof\u2011of\u2011concept that raw SME sand can be taken all the way to fused silica glass in a single thermoelectric step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            <\/div>\n\n\n\n

            Why Risbud\u2019s Photonics Background Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The R&D is not happening in isolation; it builds directly on decades of work in silica photonics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Back in 2002, Risbud co\u2011authored \u201cWaveguide Fabrication in Fused Silica Using Tightly Focused Femtosecond Laser Pulses,\u201d presented at Photonics West. That work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • Demonstrated that tightly focused femtosecond pulses can induce controlled refractive\u2011index changes (on the order of ) inside bulk fused silica.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Used those index changes to write waveguides, splitters and Mach\u2013Zehnder interferometers directly inside glass.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Linked these optical changes to underlying structural modifications, including densification and the formation of specific defect centers in the glass network.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              <\/div>\n\n\n\n

              In other words, the same lab that was among the first to write 3D photonic structures inside fused silica using femtosecond lasers is now applying that knowledge to purifying silica sand and making fused silica glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              For Homerun shareholders, this matters for credibility:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              It shows that our R&D partnership is anchored in a world\u2011class photonics and glass science group, not a generalist lab. It increases the likelihood that process development is grounded in a deep understanding of how lasers and high\u2011temperature processing affect silica at the microstructural level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              <\/div>\n\n\n\n

              Where We Are Today \u2013 and What\u2019s Next<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Taken together, the UC Davis program has established three important proofs\u2011of\u2011concept for Homerun:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              1. Our silica responds well to advanced purification \u2013 Femtosecond laser processing and other methods have taken raw and pre\u2011purified silica to ultra\u2011high purity (up to 99.999% SiO\u2082) without hazardous chemicals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. Our silica can be converted directly into fused silica glass using FJH \u2013 UC Davis has produced fused silica glass from SME sand using a one\u2011step, thermoelectric process at ~2,000 \u00b0C.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. We have begun to protect this work with IP \u2013 Homerun and UC Davis have filed a patent application on the femtosecond\u2011based silica purification process, and additional IP opportunities may emerge as FJH scale\u2011up continues.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                <\/div>\n\n\n\n

                There are still significant steps ahead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • Scaling FJH to larger batch sizes and continuous configurations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Further characterizing the optical and mechanical properties of the fused silica glass produced.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Exploring pathways to integrate these processes into existing fused silica and photonics supply chains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Continuing independent and third\u2011party assessment where appropriate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  <\/div>\n\n\n\n

                  Looking Ahead to Part 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Part 3 has focused on how Homerun and UC Davis are turning SME silica into ultra\u2011pure silica and fused silica glass and why we believe this work is grounded in world\u2011class photonics expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  In Part 4 \u2013 From R&D to Opportunity: What Fused Silica Could Mean for Homerun Shareholders, we will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  • Map where fused silica sits in the value chain from sand to photonics and semiconductors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Outline potential strategic paths if our technologies scale.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Highlight the key milestones we believe investors should watch over the coming years. Our goal remains the same: to help Homerun shareholders understand both the scale of the opportunity and the real work and risk involved in getting there.
                    <\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    In Parts 1 and 2, we explained why AI\u2019s \u201cCopper Wall\u201d is driving interest in photonics and why ultra\u2011high\u2011purity fused silica glass is such an important enabling material. Part 3 goes inside the lab. Here, we walk through what Homerun and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) are actually doing with Santa Maria Eterna […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1304,"featured_media":7772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1304"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7768"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7770,"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7768\/revisions\/7770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homerunresources.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}