Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Tokyo Denpa Co., Ltd.

Noriyuki Agata

Yoshiaki Ikuta

Shinya Kikugawa

Kazumi Yoshida

Masatoshi Nishimoto

Yutaka Shimizu

An object of the present invention is to provide an artificial quartz member inhibited from suffering the decrease in transmittance in a laser light wavelength region which is caused by long-term irradiation with a laser light having a wavelength of 200 nm or shorter; and a process for producing the artificial quartz member. The invention provides an artificial quartz member for use as an optical element to be irradiated with a laser light having a wavelength of 200 nm or shorter, having an aluminum content of 200 ppb or lower.

Artificial quartz member, process for producing the same, and optical element comprising the same

A synthetic quartz glass for an optical member which is free from compaction and rarefaction is obtained. A synthetic quartz glass for an optical member to be used for an optical device employing a light having a wavelength of at most 400 nm and at least 170 nm as a light source, which contains substantially no oxygen excess defects, dissolved oxygen molecules nor reduction type defects, which has a chlorine concentration of at most 50 ppm and a OH group concentration of at most 100 ppm, and which contains oxygen deficient defects within a concentration range of at most 5&#xd7;10defects/cmand at least 1&#xd7;10defects/cm. The fluorine concentration is preferably at most 100 ppm.

Synthetic quartz glass for optical member and its production method

A synthetic quartz glass for an optical member, which is to be used in an optical device employing an ArF excimer laser beam as a light source at an energy density of at most 2 mJ/cm/pulse or in an optical device employing a KrF excimer laser beam as a light source at an energy density of at most 30 mJ/cm/pulse, characterized in that the hydrogen molecule concentration is within a range of at least 1&#xd7;10molecules/cmand less than 5&#xd7;10molecules/cm.

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Koriyama, Japan

Noriyuki Agata