Abstract: A large-volume scintillation crystal affording a high scintillation yield and having high mechanical strength is obtained by growing a crystal from a melt containing strontium iodide, barium iodide or a mixture thereof and by doping with an activator. To this end, the melt is enclosed in a closed volume. Before and/or during the growing, the melt is in diffusion-permitting connection, via the enclosed volume, with an oxygen getter which sets a constant oxygen potential in the closed volume and the melt. Such a scintillation crystal is suitable for detecting UV-, gamma-, beta-, alpha- and/or positron radiation.

Abstract: The scintillation material is a compound of the general formula LnX3:D, in which Ln is Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and/or Lu; X is F, Cl, Br or I, and D is at least one cation of elements Y, Zr, Pd, Hf and Bi as dopant and is contained in the material in an amount of 10 ppm to 10,000 ppm. When the scintillation material includes the preferred CeBr3 and Bi as a cationic dopant, it also includes at least one other cation of the elements Y, Zr, Pd and Hf. The scintillation material may be in single crystal or polycrystalline form.

Abstract: The process produces a scintillation material of formula LnX3 or LnX3:D, wherein Ln is at least one rare earth element, X is F, Cl, Br, or I; and D is at least one cationic dopant selected from the group consisting of Y, Zr, Pd, Hf and Bi. The at least one cationic dopant is present in the scintillation material in an amount of 10 ppm to 10,000 ppm. The process includes optionally mixing the compound of the general empirical formula LnX3 with the at least one cationic dopant, heating the compound or the mixture obtained by the optional mixing to a melting temperature thereof, then growing the crystal or crystalline structure and cooling the resulting crystal or crystalline structure from a growing temperature to a temperature of 100° C. at a cooling rate of less than 20 K/h.

Abstract: The invention relates to a glass ceramic armour material consisting (in % by weight in relation to oxide base) of 5-33 SiO2, 20-50 Al2O3, 5-40 MgO, 0-15 B2O3, 0.1-30 Y2O3, Ln2O3, As2O3, Nb2O3 and/or Sc2O3 and 0-10 P2O5. The inventive armour material can also be reinforced with inorganic reinforcing fibres in a quantity of 5-65% by weight, preferably consisting of C, SiC, Si3N4, Al2O3, ZrO2 or Sialon. Said armour material is characterised in that it exhibits a high elasticity modulus and is producible from green glass without to fear a premature crystallisation.

Abstract: A photovoltaic module having a fluoride-containing covering, substrate or superstrate glass is disclosed. The weight ratio X of the iron content to the fluorine content is preferably from 0.001 to 0.6. The glass to which fluoride has been added can be any glass suitable for photovoltaic modules, for example a soda-lime glass, a borosilicate glass or an aluminosilicate glass.

Abstract: The refractive, transmissive or diffractive optical elements are made from a ceramic containing one or more oxides of the type X2O3, which is transmissive for visible light and/or for infrared radiation and which has a cubic crystal structure analogous to that of Y2O3. In preferred embodiments X is Y, Sc, In, or a lanthanide element, namely La to Lu, and in particular is Lu, Yb, Gd, or La. Also mixtures of oxides of the type X2O3 with oxides having different stoichiometries, such as HfO2 and/or ZrO2, may be present, as long as the cubic structure of the ceramic is maintained.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical hybrid lens. According to the invention, the lens consists of a substrate (1) that consists of a ceramic having a predetermined shape and at least another material (2), which covers a surface of the substrate (1) at least in certain sections in order to form a lens surface. Use of an optical ceramic as a material enables an additional degree of freedom for adjusting the imaging properties of the hybrid lens. The optical ceramic may have a high refractive index and a low dispersion. The other material can be a material that can be deformed or recast at temperatures that are low in comparison to those of the optical ceramic. In particular the other material can be a low-TG glass or a polymer. The other material is directly applied onto the substrate without a further surface finishing being necessarily required. Other aspects of the invention relate to an optical lens group, an optical image acquisition device, and a process for manufacturing a hybrid lens.

Abstract: The optical elements for ultraviolet radiation, especially for microlithography, are made from cubic granet, cubic spinel, cubic perovskite and/or cubic M(II)- as well as M(IV)-oxides. The optical elements are made from suitable crystals of Y3Al5O12, Lu3Al5O12, Ca3Al2Si3O12, K2NaAlF6, K2NaScF6, K2LiAlF6 and/or Na3Al2Li3F12, (Mg, Zn)Al2O4, CaAl2O4, CaB2O4 and/or LiAl5O8, BaZrO3 and/or CaCeO3. A front lens used in immersion optics for microlithography at wavelengths under 200 nm is an example of a preferred optical element of the present invention.

Abstract: A glass ceramic is specified, with a crystalline phase consisting predominantly of BPO4, and preferably exclusively of BPO4. The glass ceramic contains 10 to 50 wt.-% SiO2, 5 to 40 B2O3, 25 to 75 wt.-% P2O5, up to 5 wt.-% refining agents, up to 1 wt.-% impurities, and 0.1 to 10 wt.-% of at least one constituent selected from the group of M32O3, M52O5 and M4O2, wherein M3 is an element selected from the group of the lanthanoids, yttrium, iron, aluminum, gallium, indium and thallium; wherein M5 is an element selected from the group of vanadium, niobium and tantalum and wherein M4 is an element selected from the group of titanium, zirconium, hafnium and cerium. The glass ceramic is advantageously suitable for being coated with semiconductor materials.

Abstract: The invention relates to a glass ceramic armour material consisting (in % by weight in relation to oxide base) of 5-33 SiO2, 20-50 Al2O3, 5-40 MgO, 0-15 B2O3, 0.1-30 Y2O3, Ln2O3, As2O3, Nb2O3 and/or Sc2O3 and 0-10 P2O5. The inventive armour material can also be reinforced with inorganic reinforcing fibres in a quantity of 5-65% by weight, preferably consisting of C, SiC, Si3N4, Al2O3, ZrO2 or Sialon. Said armour material is characterised in that it exhibits a high elasticity modulus and is producible from green glass without to fear a premature crystallisation.

Abstract: The invention is based on the object of providing armoring that is lightweight and exhibits a denser microstructure that is improved as against ceramic composite materials. To this end, armoring against high dynamic impulsive loads is provided that comprises a composite material having at least two phases, the first phase forming a matrix for the second phase, and the first phase being a glass or a glass ceramic, and the second phase being embedded and distributed in the form of particles and/or fibers in the matrix formed by the material of the first phase.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing optical elements, in particular lenses made from an optoceramic, comprising a forming step, which step comprises the formation of a green body. The invention further relates to optical elements produced according to the before mentioned process. The process according to the present invention comprises a forming step including the application of a mould being close to the final geometry of the body to be formed (near net shape principle) including the application of moderate pressure between 0.1 MPa and 50 MPa, preferably between about 0.5 MPa and 25 MPa, in particular preferred between about 1 MPa und 12 MPa. The pressure is applied either on the ceramic powder mass during positioning of the ceramic powder mass into the form or is applied onto the ceramic powder mass within the form.

Abstract: The refractive, transmissive or diffractive optical elements are made from a ceramic containing one or more oxides of the type X2O3, which is transmissive for visible light and/or for infrared radiation and which has a cubic crystal structure analogous to that of Y2O3. In preferred embodiments X is Y, Sc, In, or a lanthanide element, namely La to Lu, and in particular is Lu, Yb, Gd, or La. Also mixtures of oxides of the type X2O3 with oxides having different stoichiometries, such as HfO2 and/or ZrO2, may be present, as long as the cubic structure of the ceramic is maintained.

Abstract: The optical elements are made from an opto-ceramic material that is characterized by high density, transparency for visible light and IR, high refractive index, high Abbe number and outstanding relative partial dispersion. Mixed oxides are sintered to obtain the opto-ceramic material. The mixed oxides contain zirconium oxide and hafnium oxide mixed with one or more oxides of yttrium, scandium, lanthanide elements, and optionally mixed with one or more of SiO2, Na2O, and TiO2. Alternatively the mixed oxides contain zirconium oxide and hafnium oxide mixed with CaO and/or MgO and optionally mixed with one or more of SiO2, Na2O, and TiO2. In addition, the mixed oxides can also include one or more oxides of Al, Ga, In, and Sc; optionally one or more oxides of yttrium, some lanthanide elements; and optionally one or more of SiO2, Na2O, MgO, CaO, and TiO2.

Abstract: The invention relates to the manufacture of a substrate which is particularly suitable for EUV micro-lithography and comprises a base layer of low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) onto which at least one cover layer made of a semiconductor material is applied. Preferably, the cover layer is a silicon layer, preferably applied by ion beam sputtering. By an additional ion beam figuring treatment substrates of extremely accurate shape and extremely low roughness can be prepared.

Abstract: The method tests the suitability of an optical material having a radiation-induced absorption, especially of an alkali or alkaline earth halide, for production of an optical element exposed to high-energy irradiation. The method includes pre-irradiating the optical material with laser radiation until rapid damage induced in the optical material with the laser radiation is saturated; subsequently measuring fluorescence of the optical material during and/or immediately after irradiating the optical material with excitation radiation and determining the non-intrinsic fluorescence and intrinsic fluorescence present in the measured fluorescence. Suitability may be preferably determined according to a ratio of the amount of non-intrinsic fluorescence to intrinsic fluorescence. A device for performing the method including a barrier device for blocking scattered excitation radiation is also provided.

Abstract: A glass ceramic is specified, with a crystalline phase consisting predominantly of BPO4, and preferably exclusively of BPO4. The glass ceramic contains 10 to 50 wt.-% SiO2, 5 to 40 B2O3, 25 to 75 wt.-% P2O5, up to 5 wt.-% refining agents, up to 1 wt.-% impurities, and 0.1 to 10 wt.-% of at least one constituent selected from the group of M32O3, M52O5 and M4O2, wherein M3 is an element selected from the group of the lanthanoids, yttrium, iron, aluminum, gallium, indium and thallium; wherein M5 is an element selected from the group of vanadium, niobium and tantalum and wherein M4 is an element selected from the group of titanium, zirconium, hafnium and cerium. The glass ceramic is advantageously suitable for being coated with semiconductor materials.

Abstract: The optical elements are made from an opto-ceramic material that is characterized by high density, transparency for visible light and IR, high refractive index, high Abbe number and outstanding relative partial dispersion. Mixed oxides are sintered to obtain the opto-ceramic material. The mixed oxides contain zirconium oxide and hafnium oxide mixed with one or more oxides of yttrium, scandium, lanthanide elements, and optionally mixed with one or more of SiO2, Na2O, and TiO2. Alternatively the mixed oxides contain zirconium oxide and hafnium oxide mixed with CaO and/or MgO and optionally mixed with one or more of SiO2, Na2O, and TiO2. In addition, the mixed oxides can also include one or more oxides of Al, Ga, In, and Sc; optionally one or more oxides of yttrium, some lanthanide elements; and optionally one or more of SiO2, Na2O, MgO, CaO, and TiO2.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel glass ceramic having a low or small average thermal expansion together with good polishability and processability, to the use of the glass ceramic according to the invention, and to optical components made of the glass ceramic. In particular, a glass ceramic is provided which comprises the following composition (in % by weight based on oxide): SiO2 50–70 Al2O3 17–32 P2O5 ?3–12 Li2O 2.5–5?? Na2O 0–2 K2O 0–2 MgO 0–2 CaO 0.1–4?? BaO ??0–<1 SrO 0–2 ZnO 0–4 TiO2 1.5–5?? ZrO2 ?0–2.5.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical hybrid lens. According to the invention, the lens consists of a substrate (1) that consists of a ceramic having a predetermined shape and at least another material (2), which covers a surface of the substrate (1) at least in certain sections in order to form a lens surface. Use of an optical ceramic as a material enables an additional degree of freedom for adjusting the imaging properties of the hybrid lens. The optical ceramic may have a high refractive index and a low dispersion. The other material can be a material that can be deformed or recast at temperatures that are low in comparison to those of the optical ceramic. In particular the other material can be a low-TG glass or a polymer. The other material is directly applied onto the substrate without a further surface finishing being necessarily required. Other aspects of the invention relate to an optical lens group, an optical image acquisition device, and a process for manufacturing a hybrid lens.