Abstract:
Lithographic methods are disclosed. In one such method, a pulsed ultraviolet radiation source for producing ultraviolet lithography radiation having a wavelength shorter than about 300 nm at a fluence of less than 10 mJ/cm2/pulse and a high purity fused silica lithography glass having a concentration of molecular hydrogen of between about 0.02×1018 molecules/cm3 and about 0.18×1018 molecules/cm3 are provided. A lithography pattern is formed with the ultraviolet lithography radiation; the lithography pattern is reduced to produce a reduced lithography pattern; and the reduced lithography pattern is projected onto a ultraviolet radiation sensitive lithography medium to form a printed lithography pattern. At least one of the forming, reducing, and projecting steps includes transmitting the ultraviolet lithography radiation through the high purity fused silica lithography glass. Lithography systems and high purity fused silica lithography glass are also described.
Abstract:
The present invention is a method of making a lithography photomask and photomask blank. The method of making the lithography photomask and photomask blank includes providing a silicon oxyfluoride glass tube having an OH content less than 50 ppm. The method further includes cutting the silicon oxyfluoride glass tube, flattening the silicon oxyfluoride glass tube, and forming the flattened cut silicon oxyfluoride glass tube into a photomask blank having a planar surface. The present invention includes a glass lithography mask preform. The glass lithography mask preform is a longitudinal silicon oxyfluoride glass tube that has an OH content ≦10 ppm, a F wt. % concentration ≧0.5 wt. %.
Abstract:
The present invention directs to a method of manufacturing low water peak single mode optical fiber, which comprises performing deposition in a substrate tube using PCVD technology, whereby a deposited layer of a certain construction design is formed on the inner wall of the substrate tube, melt contracting the substrate tube into a solid core rod according to melt contraction technology, producing an optical fiber preform by combining the core rod and a jacket tube of low hydroxyl content by means of RIT technology or by depositing an outer cladding on the outer surface of the core rod using OVD technology, sending the optical fiber preform into a fiber drawing furnace to draw it into an optical fiber, wherein: in the PCVD technology, the content of impurities in a gas mixture of raw materials, which is characterized by the infrared spectrum transmissivity thereof, is required to a transmissivity of 90% or greater, the water content in O2 is 100 ppb or less, the water content in C2F6 is 1000 ppb or less, the hydroxyl content of the substrate tube is 1000 ppb or less, the dynamic leak rate of a deposition machine is 1.0×10−5 mbar·l/s or less; during melt contraction of the substrate tube, the dynamic leak rate of a melt contraction machine is 1.0×10−5 mbar·l/s or less; the hydroxyl content of the jacket tube of low hydroxyl content is required to be 10 ppm or less; the relative humidity of environment during the process of manufacture is 25% or less; the ratio of the cladding diameter to the core layer diameter (b/a value) in the waveguide structure of the optical fiber is from 2.0 to 7.0.
Abstract:
Method for fabricating an optical fiber preform substantially without hydroxyl group in core includes forming clad layer having relatively low refractive index by depositing soot (SiO2, GeO2) to inner surface of quartz tube; and forming core layer having relatively high refractive index on clad layer, which includes (a) a base core layer forming step composed of generating soot by heating inside of quartz tube to 1000null C.-1400null C. with introducing reaction gases (SiCl4GeCl4) into quartz tube, accumulating soot on clad layer removing hydroxyl-groups (OH) and moisture from soot and tube by heating inside of quartz tube to 600null C.-1200null C. with introducing dehydration gases (He, Cl2; O2) into quartz tube, and sintering and vitrifying soot by heating quartz tube inside over 1700null C. with introducing dehydration gas (He, Cl2, O2); and (b) a step of forming at least one additional core layer on base core layer by repeating the accumulating/dehydrating/sintering of the step (a) at least one time.
Abstract:
High purity direct deposit vitrified silicon oxyfluoride glass suitable for use as a photomask substrates for photolithography applications in the VUV wavelength region below 190 nm is disclosed. The inventive direct deposit vitrified silicon oxyfluoride glass is transmissive at wavelengths around 157 nm, making it particularly useful as a photomask substrate at the 157 nm wavelength region. The inventive photomask substrate is a dry direct deposit vitrified silicon oxyfluoride glass which exhibits very high transmittance in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) wavelength region while maintaining the excellent thermal and physical properties generally associated with high purity fused silica. In addition to containing fluorine and having little or no OH content, the inventive direct deposit vitrified silicon oxyfluoride glass suitable for use as a photomask substrate at 157 nm is also characterized by having less than 1×1017 molecules/cm3 of molecular hydrogen and low chlorine levels.
Abstract translation:公开了适用于在190nm以下的VUV波长区域中用于光刻应用的光掩模基板的高纯度直接沉积玻璃化硅氧氟化物玻璃。 本发明的直接沉积玻璃化硅氧氟化物玻璃在157nm波长附近是透射的,使其特别适用于157nm波长区域的光掩模衬底。 本发明的光掩模基材是在真空紫外(VUV)波长区域中显示非常高的透射率的干直接沉积玻璃化硅氧氟化物玻璃,同时保持通常与高纯度熔融二氧化硅相关的优异的热和物理性能。 除了含氟并且具有很少或不具有OH含量之外,本发明的适用于157nm的光掩模衬底的玻璃化玻璃化氟氧化硅玻璃的特征还在于具有小于1×10 17分子/ cm 3的分子 氢和低氯水平。
Abstract:
High purity silicon oxyfluoride glass suitable for use as a photomask substrates for photolithography applications in the VUV wavelength region below 190 nm is disclosed with the silicon oxyfluoride glass having a preferred fluorine content
Abstract translation:公开了具有优选氟含量<0.5重量%的氟氧化硅玻璃,适合用作光刻应用中的低于190nm的VUV波长区域的光掩模基板的高纯度氟氧化硅玻璃。 本发明的氟氧化硅玻璃在157nm波长下是透射的,使其特别适用于157nm波长区域的光掩模衬底。 本发明的光掩模基材是“真空”的氟氧化硅玻璃,其在真空紫外(VUV)波长区域中表现出非常高的透射率,同时保持通常与高纯度熔融石英相关的优异的热和物理性能。 除了含氟并且具有很少或不具有OH含量之外,本发明的适合用作157nm的光掩模衬底的氟氧化硅玻璃的特征还在于具有小于1×10 17分子/ cm 3的分子氢和低 氯水平。
Abstract:
A method of forming an alkali metal oxide-doped optical fiber by diffusing an alkali metal into a surface of a glass article is disclosed. The silica glass article may be in the form of a tube or a rod, or a collection of tubes or rods. The silica glass article containing the alkali metal, and impurities that may have been unintentionally diffused into the glass article, is etched to a depth sufficient to remove the impurities. The silica glass article may be further processed to form a complete optical fiber preform. The preform, when drawn into an optical fiber, exhibits a low attenuation.
Abstract:
A process for producing synthetic quartz glass using a burner composed of a plurality of concentric nozzles involves the steps of feeding a silica-forming raw material gas and a fluorine compound gas to a reaction zone from a center nozzle, feeding oxygen gas from a second nozzle outside the center nozzle, and feeding oxygen gas and/or hydrogen gas from a third nozzle. The silica-forming raw material gas is hydrolyzed to form fine particles of silica, which particles are deposited on a rotatable substrate so as to form a porous silica matrix, which is then fused to give the quartz glass. The flow rate of the oxygen gas fed from the second nozzle and the flow rate of the raw material gas are controlled so as to provide a 1.1- to 3.5-fold stoichiometric excess of oxygen. The excess oxygen suppresses Si—Si bond formation in the quartz glass, enabling the production of synthetic quartz glass having a high transmittance in the vacuum ultraviolet region.
Abstract:
In a known procedure for the manufacture of an optical fiber by drawing from a preform with a core-clad structure or from a coaxial arrangement of several components forming a core-clad structure, a core cylinder is produced with a soot deposition method, with the core cylinder having a core glass layer of a higher refractive index, nullnKnull, and outer diameter, nulldKnull, said core glass layer being encased by a first cladding glass layer having a lower refractive index, nullnM1null, and outer diameter, nulldM1null, followed by applying a second cladding glass layer onto the core cylinder. The modification of this procedure according to the invention is characterized by its lower optical fiber production costs. This is achieved by providing the second cladding glass layer (4) in the form of a cladding tube manufactured in a separate step of the procedure, said cladding tube having a mean OH concentration of max. 1 wt.-ppm, and applying the second cladding glass layer (4) by collapsing the cladding tube onto the core cylinder (2; 3), and by using a core cylinder with a nulldM1null/nulldKnull ratio between 1 and 2.2 and a mean OH concentration of max. 1 wt-ppm in its superficial area up to a depth of 10 nullm (FIG. 1).
Abstract:
An optical fiber is formed by performing vapor phase deposition of SiO2 on the outside of a glass rod comprising a core section and a first cladding section and drawing a glass preform which formed by a second cladding section. Also, a single mode optical fiber is manufactured so that the ratio of the diameter D of the first cladding section and the diameter d of the core section is in a range of 4.0 to 4.8, and OH concentration is 0.1 ppm or less. Also, an optical fiber is manufactured so that a value of D/d>4.8, and the OH concentration is 0.1 ppm or less. It is thereby possible to maintain an initial loss in the 1380 nm wavelength range even if hydrogen diffusion occurs.