OPTICAL COMPONENT MADE OF QUARTZ GLASS FOR USE IN ArF EXCIMER LASER LITHOGRAPHY AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE COMPONENT

Abstract

An optical component made of synthetic quartz glass includes a glass structure substantially free of oxygen defect sites and having a hydrogen content of 0.1×10 16 to 1.0×10 18 molecules/cm 3 , an SiH group content of less than 2×10 17 molecules/cm 3 , a hydroxyl group content of 0.1 to 100 wt. ppm, and an Active temperature of less than 1070° C. The optical component undergoes a laser-induced change in the refractive index in response to irradiation by a radiation with a wavelength of 193 nm using 5×10 9 pulses with a pulse width of 125 ns and a respective energy density of 500 μJ/cm 2 at a pulse repetition frequency of 2000 Hz. The change totals a first measured value M 193 nm when measured using the applied wavelength of 193 nm and a second measured value M 633 nm when measured using a measured wavelength of 633 nm. The ratio M 193 nm /M 633 nm is less than 1.7.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An optical component made of synthetic quartz glass for use in ArF excimer laser lithography with an applied wavelength of 193 nm, the optical component comprising:
 a glass structure which is substantially free of oxygen defect sites, the glass structure having a hydrogen content in the range of 0.1×10 16  molecules/cm 3  to 1.0×10 18  molecules/cm 3 , a content of SiH groups of less than 2×10 17  molecules/cm 3 , a content of hydroxyl groups in the range between 0.1 and 100 wt. ppm, and a fictive temperature of less than 1070° C.,
 wherein the glass structure reacts to irradiation with radiation of an applied wavelength of 193 nm with 5×109 pulses with a pulse width of 125 ns and an energy density of 500 μJ/cm2 each time and a pulse repetition frequency of 2000 Hz with a laser-induced refractive-index change, the amount of which upon measurement with the applied wavelength of 193 nm yields a first measured value M 193 nm  and upon measurement with a measurement wavelength of 633 nm yields a second measured value M 633 nm , and 
 wherein M 193 nm /M 633 nm <1.7. 
   
     
     
         2 . The optical component according to  claim 1 , wherein M 193 nm /M 633 nm <1.6. 
     
     
         3 . The optical component according to  claim 1 , wherein the fictive temperature is less than 1055° C. 
     
     
         4 . The optical component according to  claim 1 , wherein the content of hydroxyl groups is between 10 and 60 wt. ppm. 
     
     
         5 . The optical component according to  claim 1 , wherein the glass structure has a content of fluorine of less than 10 wt. ppm. 
     
     
         6 . The optical component according to  claim 1 , wherein the glass structure has a content of chlorine of less than 0.1 wt. ppm.