合成石英ガラスのエキシマレーザー用光学材料特性

- ArFレーザー照射による紫外域発光および吸収に及ぼす雰囲気熱処理の効果 -

抄録

Luminescence and absorption characteristics of fused silica are investigated for obtaining an optical material for an ArF excimer laser. Fused silica synthesized in a oxygen rich atmosphare shows a strong luminescence band at 650 nm. This band can be annihilated by annealing in a hydrogen atmosphare, but appears again by subsequent annealing in air . Fused silica synthesized in a hydrogen rich atmosphare show a strong luminescence band at 280 nm, which correlates the 220 nm absorption band caused by the E'center. The 280 nm luminescence band and the 220 nm absorption band disappeare by annealing in a herium atmosphare. Fused silica for ArF laser optics can thus be obtained by annealing fused silica synthesized in a hydrogen rich atmosphare in herium.