Abstract:
A synthetic silica glass having a high transmittance for vacuum ultraviolet rays, for example F2 excimer laser beam with a wavelength of 157 nm, a high uniformity and a high durability and useful for ultraviolet ray-transparent optical glass materials is produced from a high-purity silicon compound, for example silicon tetrachloride, by heat treating an accumulated porous silica material at a temperature not high enough to convert the porous silica material to a transparent silica glass in an inert gas atmosphere for a time sufficient to cause the OH groups to be condensed and removed from the glass, and exhibits substantially no content of impurities other than OH group a difference between highest and lowest fictional temperatures of 50° C. or less and a transmittance of 157 nm ultraviolet rays through a 10 mm optical path of 60% or more, and optically a OH group content of 1 to 70 ppm, a Cl content less than 1 ppm, a total content of impurity metals of 50 ppb or less, a content of each individual impurity metal less than 10 ppb, and an ultraviolet ray-transmittance at 172 to 200 nm of 40% or more even after the glass is exposed to an irradiation of ultraviolet rays at 160 to 300 nm for one hour.
Abstract:
An object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic silica glass optical material which exhibits excellent transmittance as well as durability for high output power vacuum ultraviolet rays, being emitted from, for example, ArF excimer lasers and Xe.sub.2 excimer lamps, and to provide a method for producing the same. A synthetic silica glass optical material for high output power vacuum ultraviolet rays made from ultra high purity synthetic silica glass for use in the wavelength region of from 165 to 195 nm, containing OH groups at a concentration of from 5 to 300 wtppm with a fluctuation width in OH group concentration (.DELTA.OH/cm) of 10 wtppm or less, containing hydrogen molecules at a concentration of from 1.times.10.sup.17 to 1.times.10.sup.19 molecule/cm.sup.3 with a fluctuation width in hydrogen molecule concentration (.DELTA.H.sub.2 /cm) of 1.times.10.sup.17 molecule/cm.sup.3 or lower, and containing chlorine at a concentration of 50 wtppm or lower. Also claimed is a method for producing the same.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a light conductor having a sleeve M1 and one or more cores, wherein the sleeve M1 encloses the cores. Each core has a refraction index profile perpendicular to the maximum core expansion, wherein at least one refraction index n K of each refraction index profile is greater than the refraction index n M1 of the sleeve M1. The sleeve M1 consists of silicon dioxide and has an OH content of less than 10 ppm, a chlorine content of less than 60 ppm, and an aluminum content of less than 200 ppb. The invention further relates to a silicon dioxide granulate I, characterized by a chlorine content of less than 200 ppm and an aluminum content of less than 200 ppb, each relative to the total weight of the silicon dioxide granulate I. The invention further relates to a silicon dioxide granulate II, characterized by a chlorine content of less than 500 ppm and an aluminum content of less than 200 ppb. The invention further relates to a method for producing silicon dioxide granulates I and II according to the invention and for producing a quartz glass body, a light conductor, and a fiber optic cable.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for producing a silica glass article, involving method steps i.) providing a silica granulate that can be obtained from a silica powder, the silica granulate having a larger particle size than the silica powder, ii.) forming a glass melt from the silica granulate, and iii.) forming a silica glass article from at least some of the glass melt, the melting crucible comprising at least one inlet and an outlet, at least some of the glass melt being removed through the outlet in the melting crucible. The invention further relates to a silica glass article that can be obtained by said method. The invention also relates to an optical waveguide, an illuminant and a molded article, each of which can be obtained by further processing the silica glass article.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for producing a silica glass article, involving method steps i.) providing a silica granulate, ii.) forming a glass melt from the silica granulate in a furnace, and iii.) forming a silica glass article from at least some of the glass melt, the furnace including an upright sintered crucible. The invention further relates to a silica glass article that can be obtained by said method. The invention also relates to an optical waveguide, an illuminant and a molded article, each of which can be obtained by further processing the silica glass article.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for producing a silica glass body, involving the method steps of: i.) providing silica granules I from a pyrogenically produced silica powder, ii.) treating the silica granules I with a reactant at a temperature ranging from 1000 to 1300°C, iii.) forming a glass melt from the silica granules, and iv.) forming a silica glass body from at least some of the glass melt. The invention also relates to a silica glass body that can be obtained by said method. In addition, the invention relates to a light guide, a lighting means and a shaped article, each of which can be obtained by further processing the silica glass body. The invention finally relates to a method for manufacturing silica granules II.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an optical fiber preform for obtaining an optical fiber with low transmission loss. A core preform included in the optical fiber preform comprises three or more core portions, which are each produced by a rod-in-collapse method, and in which both their alkali metal element concentration and chlorine concentration are independently controlled. In two or more manufacturing steps of the manufacturing steps for each of the three or more core portions, an alkali metal element is added. As a result, the mean alkali metal element concentration in the whole core preform is controlled to 7 atomic ppm or more and 70 atomic ppm or less.
Abstract:
An ideal quartz glass for a wafer holder for application in an etching environment is characterised both by high purity and also a high dry etching resistance. According to the invention, such a quartz glass may be achieved, whereby the quartz glass is doped with nitrogen, at least in a region near the surface, has an average content of metastable hydroxy groups of less than 30 wt. ppm, the fictive temperature is less than 1250 °C and the viscosity at a temperature of 1200 °C is at least 1013 dPas. A commercial method for production of such a quartz glass comprises the following method steps: fusion of a SiO2 raw material to give a quartz glass blank, whereby the SiO2 raw material or the quartz glass blank is subjected to a dehydration process, heating of the SiO2 raw material or the quartz glass blank to a nitriding temperature in the range between 1050 °C and 1850 °C under an atmosphere containing ammonia, a temperature treatment, by means of which the quartz glass of the quartz glass blank is brought to a fictive temperature of 1250 °C or less and a surface treatment of the quartz glass blank to give the quartz glass holder.
Abstract:
For a substrate having fine convexoconcave patterns on its surface, the dimensions of the convexoconcave patterns in a vertical direction of a quartz glass substrate are controlled to be uniform with extreme accuracy and over the entire substrate surface. The quartz glass substrate is made to have a fictive temperature distribution of at most 4O°C and a halogen concentration of less than 400 ppm, or a fictive temperature distribution of at most 4O°C, a halogen concentration of at least 400ppm and a halogen concentration distribution of at most 400ppm and the etching rate of the surface of the quartz glass substrate is made uniform, whereby the dimensions of the convexoconcave patterns in a vertical direction of the quartz glass substrate are controlled to be uniform with good accuracy and over the entire substrate surface.