ABSTRACT
The term solarization was originally used to describe the colorization of glasses produced by prolonged sunlight exposure. Early examples were purple-colored shards of glass found in the desert. In this chapter we extend the definition to include induced absorption beyond the visible portion of the spectrum. This extended definition of the solarization phenomenon has recently become of some importance in practical applications in a negative way in devices where the glass involved is exposed to UV light as, for example, from the plasma discharge in sputtering deposition units, or when an UV curing light is used to apply polymer patterns to glass. Here the understanding of the phenomenon is aimed at finding ways to mitigate the effect.
