Heraeus Quarzglas Gmbh & Co Kg

Steffen Kaiser

Stephan Thomas

Bodo Kuehn

Bodo Kühn

Denis Kassube

Martin Trommer

Jan Vydra

Stefan Ochs

Bruno Uebbing

Stephan Ochs

Kerstin Merget

To optimize an optical component of synthetic quartz glass, in the case of which a quartz glass blank is subjected to a multistage annealing treatment, with respect to compaction and central birefringence, the present invention suggests a method comprising the following steps:

Method for producing an optical component of synthetic quartz glass with enhanced radiation resistance, and blank for producing the component

Starting from an optical component of quartz glass for transmitting ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength between 190 nm and 250 nm, with a glass structure essentially without oxygen defects, a hydrogen content ranging from 0.1&#xd7;10molecules/cmto 5.0&#xd7;10molecules/cm, and with a content of SiH groups of less than 5&#xd7;10molecules/cm, to provide such a component which is particularly well suited for use with linearly polarized UV laser radiation, the present invention suggests that the component should have a content of hydroxyl groups ranging from 10 to 250 wt ppm and a fictive temperature above 1000&#xb0; C.

Optical component of quartz glass, method for producing the optical component, and use thereof

To provide an optical component of quartz glass for use in a projection lens system for immersion lithography with an operating wavelength below 250 nm, which is optimized for use with linearly polarized UV laser radiation and particularly with respect to compaction and birefringence induced by anisotropic density change, it is suggested according to the invention that the quartz glass should show the combination of several properties: particularly a glass structure essentially without oxygen defects, a mean content of hydroxyl groups of less than 60 wt ppm, a mean content of fluorine of less than 10 wt ppm, a mean content of chlorine of less than 1 wt ppm. A method for producing such an optical component comprises the following method steps: producing and drying an SiOsoot body under reducing conditions and treating the dried soot body before or during vitrification with a reagent reacting with oxygen defects of the quartz glass structure.

Optical component of quartz glass, method for producing said component, and method for exposing a substrate

The present invention relates to a quartz glass blank for an optical component for transmission of ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength of 250 nm or shorter, and to a use of the quartz glass blank in microlithography in combination with ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength of 250 nm or shorter. Moreover, the invention relates to a procedure for manufacture of the quartz glass blank. A quartz glass blank of the described type should show little induced absorption and be optimized with respect to compaction and decompaction. The quartz glass blank according to the invention is characterized by the following properties: In the use according to the invention, the quartz glass blank complies with dimensioning rules (2), (3), and (4) in terms of its minimal and maximal hydrogen contents and OH-content, C, C, and C, respectively, with P being the pulse number and &#x3b5; being the energy density (in mJ/cm):[molecules/cm]=1&#xd7;10&#x3b5;,&#x2003;&#x2003;(2)[molecules/cm]=2&#xd7;10&#x3b5;,&#x2003;&#x2003;(3)[wt-ppm]=1,700&#xd7;&#x3b5;[mJ/cm]&#xb1;50.&#x2003;&#x2003;(4)The procedure according to the invention is characterized in that a mixed quartz glass is generated from a first and a second quartz glass by mixing the two quartz glasses in the course of a homogenization treatment.

Quartz glass blank for an optical component, and manufacturing procedure and use thereof

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Hanau, Germany

Steffen Kaiser