Abstract:
The present invention relates to a TiO2-containing quartz glass substrate, having a TiO2 concentration of from 3 to 8% by mass, an OH concentration of 50 ppm by mass or less, and an internal transmittance T365 per 1 mm thickness at a wavelength of 365 nm of 95% or more.
Abstract:
A TiO2—SiO2 glass ingot having a desired TiO2 concentration is fabricated, a sample is cut from the TiO2—SiO2 glass ingot, OH concentration C(OH), TiO2 concentration C(TiO2) and fictive temperature TF of the sample are measured, and zero-CTE temperature T(zero-CTE) is calculated from the measured C(OH), C(TiO2) and TF. A judgment is made as to whether the difference ΔT between the zero-CTE temperature T(zero-CTE) and a target value is within a predetermined range. When the difference ΔT is within the predetermined range, it is judged that the TiO2—SiO2 glass ingot has a desired zero-CTE temperature; when the difference ΔT is not within the range, a production condition for the TiO2—SiO2 glass ingot is corrected on the basis of the difference ΔT.
Abstract:
A fused silica glass article having a low absolute refractive index and low concentrations of hydroxyl groups, halogens, and metal having a low absolute refractive index. The glass article contains less than about 10 ppm protium-containing and deuterium-containing hydroxyl groups by weight and less than about 20 ppm halogens by weight. The silica glass article also has an absolute refractive index (ARI) less than or equal to 1.560820. In one embodiment, the ARI of the fused silica article is achieved by lowering the fictive temperature of the fused silica. A method of lowering the fictive temperature is also described.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a TiO2—SiO2 glass whose coefficient of linear thermal expansion in the range of the time of irradiation with EUV light is substantially zero when used as an optical member of an exposure tool for EUVL and which has extremely high surface smoothness. The present invention relates to a TiO2-containing silica glass having a TiO2 content of from 7.5 to 12% by mass, a temperature at which a coefficient of linear thermal expansion is 0 ppb/° C., falling within the range of from 40 to 110° C., and a standard deviation (σ) of a stress level of striae of 0.03 MPa or lower within an area of 30 mm×30 mm in at least one plane.
Abstract:
A silica glass article, such as a lens in a stepper/scanner system, having saturated induced absorption at wavelengths of less than about 250 nm. Saturated induced absorption is achieved by first removing Si—O defects in the silica glass by forming silicon hydride (SiH) at such defects, and loading the silica glass with hydrogen to react with E′ centers formed by photolysis of SiH in the silica glass article. The silicon hydride is formed by loading the silica glass with molecular hydrogen at temperatures of at least 475° C. After formation of SiH, the silica glass is loaded with additional molecular hydrogen at temperatures of less than 475° C.
Abstract:
A fused silica article having a combined concentration of hydroxyl (OH) and deuteroxyl (OD) concentration of less than 10 parts per million (ppm) and, in one embodiment, less than 1 ppm. The fused silica article is formed by drying a soot blank in a halogen-free atmosphere comprising carbon monoxide. The dried soot blank may optionally be doped to reach target levels of OH and OD concentrations and improve homogeneity within the fused silica article. The dried soot blank is then oxidized and, sintered to form the article. A method of reducing the combined concentration of OH and OD to less than 10 ppm is also described.
Abstract:
The invention starts from a known component of quartz glass for use in semiconductor manufacture, which component at least in a near-surface region shows a co-doping of a first dopant and of a second oxidic dopant, said second dopant containing one or more rare-earth metals in a concentration of 0.1-3% by wt. each (based on the total mass of SiO2 and dopant). Starting from this, to provide a quartz glass component for use in semiconductor manufacture in an environment with etching action, which component is distinguished by both high purity and high resistance to dry etching and avoids known drawbacks caused by co-doping with aluminum oxide, it is suggested according to the invention that the first dopant should be nitrogen and that the mean content of metastable hydroxyl groups of the quartz glass is less than 30 wtppm.
Abstract:
A fused silica glass and a fused silica article having a combined concentration of at least one of OH and OD of up to about 50 ppm. The fused silica glass is formed by drying a fused silica soot blank or preform in an inert atmosphere containing a drying agent, followed by removal of residual drying agent from the dried soot blank by heating the dried soot blank in an atmosphere comprising an inert gas and of oxygen.
Abstract:
A substrate that is suitable for an EUV mask or an EUV mask blank and excellent in flatness, is provided.A substrate for an EUV mask blank, which is made of a silica glass containing from 1 to 12 mass % of TiO2, wherein the surface roughness (rms) in a surface quality area of the substrate is at most 2 nm, and the maximum variation (PV) of the stress in the surface quality area of the substrate is at most 0.2 MPa.
Abstract:
The invention provides a process for producing a synthetic quartz glass, comprising: (a) depositing fine quartz glass particles synthesized by flame hydrolysis of a glass-forming material, on a substrate, to form a porous quartz glass base; (b) presintering the porous quartz glass base; (c) heat-treating the presintered porous quartz glass base by holding it under vacuum at a temperature in the range of from 1,100° C. to below the vitrification temperature for a certain time period; and (d) heating the thus heat-treated porous quartz glass base to a temperature not lower than the vitrification temperature to obtain a synthetic quartz glass. According to the process for synthetic quartz glass production of the invention, a synthetic quartz glass having a reduced OH group amount and a uniform OH group concentration can be obtained. From the synthetic quartz glass, an optical member having excellent optical properties can be obtained.