How are silicon and oxygen atoms connected in amorphous silicon dioxide?

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In amorphous silicon dioxide, also known as silica glass, the atomic structure is defined by a continuous random-network model. In this arrangement, each silicon atom is bonded to four oxygen atoms, forming SiO₄ tetrahedra.1

These tetrahedra are connected to one another at their corners, meaning each oxygen atom acts as a bridge between two silicon atoms. This corner-sharing structure allows for a liquidlike, random arrangement rather than the precise, repeating regularity found in crystalline forms like quartz. The flexibility of the Si-O-Si bond angles at these bridging oxygen atoms, along with varying twist angles between the tetrahedra, enables the network to continue without long-range order.21