Corning Incorporated

Other

Schott Ag

Corning S.a.

Alexandre M Mayolet

Michael A Pell

Adam J G Ellison

Michel Prassas

James E Dickinson

Nicholas Francis Borrelli

Yves Andre Brocheton

Marie J M Comte

The method of making a high quality fluoride crystalline optical microlithography lens element blank includes crystallizing a fluoride crystalline member with dimension &#x2267;200 mm from a melt, annealing the fluoride crystalline member and qualifying the resulting member for use as an optical microlithography lens element blank The fluoride crystalline optical lithography lens element blanks have multiple adjoining abutting crystalline subgrains with low boundary angles. The crystalline members made by the method are qualified for use as lens element blanks by a testing method including measuring their absorption spectra at 200 to 220 nm to determine absorbance at 205 nm and/or by making measurements of radiation diffracted by them.

Method of making a fluoride crystalline optical lithography lens element blank

The present invention is directed to polycrystalline alkali metal or alkaline earth metal beads, in particular CaF beads, having a diameter greater than or equal to 100 &mgr;m, advantageously between 100 &mgr;m and 2 cm, and an apparent density greater than 60%, advantageously at least 90%, of the theoretical density of said fluoride. The invention is also directed to a process for the preparation of the foregoing alkali metal and alkaline earth fluoride beads, and for the preparation of single crystals of said fluorides using the foregoing polycrystalline beads.

Beads of a polycrystalline alkali-metal or alkaline-earth metal fluoride, their preparation, and their use for preparing optical single crystals

Method of making a high quality identifiable fluoride crystalline optical microlithography lens element blank for formation into an lens element of a microlithography system. The highly qualified fluoride crystalline characteristics of the fluoride optical lithography lens blank ensure its beneficial performance in the demanding microlithography manufacturing regime which utilizes high energy short wavelength ultraviolet laser sources. The fluoride crystalline optical lithography lens element blanks are comprised of multiple adjoining abutting crystalline subgrains with low boundary angles.

According to one aspect of the present invention an optically active glass contains Sb O , up to about 4 mole % of an oxide of a rare earth element, and 0-20 mole % of a metal halide selected from the group consisting of a metal fluoride, a metal bromide, a metal chloride, and mixtures thereof, wherein this metal is a trivalent metal, a divalent metal, a monovalent metal, and mixtures thereof. In addition, any of the glass compositions described herein may contain up to 15 mole % B O substituted for an equivalent amount of Sb O .

Antimony oxide glass with optical activity

A polycrystalline alkali-metal or alkaline-earth metal (more particularly CaF2) fluorides, produced in an original form, namely in the form of beads; said beads having a diameter or equivalent diameter greater than or equal to 100 um, advantageously between 100 um and 2 cm and an apparent density greater than or equal to 60%, advantageously at least 90% of the theoretical density of said fluoride. A process for the preparation of single crystals of the corresponding alkali-metal or alkaline-earth metal fluorides that uses polycrystalline fluorides in the aforementioned original form.

Beads of polycrystalline alkali-metal or alkaline-earth metal fluoride, their preparation, and their use for preparing optical single crystals

A glass consisting essentially of antimony oxide. An optically active glass consisting essentially of antimony oxide and up to about 4 mole % of an oxide of a rare earth element. A rare earth-doped, antimony oxide-containing glass including 0-99 mole % SiO , 0-99 mole % GeO , 0-75 mole % (Al, Ga) O , 0.5-99 mole % Sb O , and up to about 4 mole % of an oxide of a rare earth element. The oxide of the rare earth element may comprise Er O . The glass of the invention further includes fluorine, expressed as a metal fluoride. An optical energy-producing or light-amplifying device, in particular, an optical amplifier, comprising the above-described glass. The optical amplifier can be either a fiber amplifier or a planar amplifier, either of which may have a hybrid composition. Embodiments of the glass of the invention can be formed by conventional glass making techniques, while some of the high content antimony oxide embodiments are formed by splat or roller quenching.

The invention provides a high quality identifiable fluoride crystalline optical microlithography lens element blank for formation into an lens element of a microlithography system. The highly qualified fluoride crystalline characteristics of the fluoride optical lithography lens blank ensure its beneficial performance in the demanding microlithography manufacturing regime which utilizes high energy short wavelength ultraviolet laser sources. The fluoride crystalline optical lithography lens element blanks are comprised of multiple adjoining abutting crystalline subgrains with low boundary angles.

Fluoride crystalline optical lithography lens element blank

The object of the present invention is a novel inorganic glass, which is capable of being strengthened by ionic exchange, and which has a refractive index of between 1.67 and 1.72; said novel glass strengthened on the surface thereof; its method of strengthening; and the corresponding ophthalmic lenses. Said novel glass has the following composition, expressed in wt. % of oxides:

Strengthened, 1.7 index, glass lens

A glass fiber sensor for measuring an electrical current, the glass fiber core being a heavy flint glass having its composition modified by the addition to the glass composition of a source of a selected rare earth ion, whereby the Verdet constant value of the glass is reduced without unduly increasing the value of the photoelastic coefficient.

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Chartres, France

Alexandre M Mayolet