The basic experimental steps in the preparation of sol-gel glass as de
veloped in recent times, and their relevance have been discussed takin
g high purity silica glass as an example. Current developments in sol-
gel derived ultra-low expansion glasses, rare earth doped laser glasse
s, semiconductor-doped non-linear glasses, gradient index lenses, micr
ooptics and organic molecule-doped (mainly dyes) glasses for sensor an
d other applications have been discussed in brief.