Innovation by Mistake

Photosensitive glass belongs to the lithium-silicate family of glasses, in which an image can be captured by microscopic metallic particles of gold or silver in the glass when it is exposed to ultraviolet light. When the glass is heated to temperatures in the range 550- 560°C for several hours the latent image is converted to a visible image through photo-excitation. Exposure through photographic negatives permits the development of three-dimensional color images and photographs. It was discovered by Donald Stookey (Figure 1) in 1937 of the Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York and named “FotoForm”.