Abstract: The invention is directed to a coated metal fluoride crystals that are resistant to laser-induced damage by a below 250 nm UV laser beam; methods of making such coated crystals, and the use of such coated crystals. The method includes the steps of providing an uncoated metal fluoride crystal of general formula MF2, where M is beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium, and mixtures thereof, and coating the uncoated metal fluoride crystal with a coating of a selected material to thereby form a coated metal material resistant to laser induced damage. Preferred coating materials include MgF2, MgF2 doped fused silica and fluorine doped fused silica.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a process or method for preparing a metal fluoride pre-melt material of a quality suitable for the preparation and growth of metal fluoride optical monocrystals. The pre-melt material of the invention is prepared using permeable graphite crucibles having a permeability (porosity) greater than 4 cm2/s. Exemplary monocrystals prepared from pre-melts of the invention exhibited improved transmissivity and laser durability relative to monocrystals prepared from convention pre-melt materials. Impurities in the pre-melt arising from the use of scavenger/fluorinating agent in the pre-melt have been shown to be generally less than 10 ppb and be less than 1 ppb.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is a process of preparing an optical fluoride crystal containing barium fluoride, which comprises: loading a crucible with a barium fluoride starting material crystal feedstock which contains at least one oxide as impurity, and an effective and non-excess amount of at least one fluorinating agent which is solid at ambient temperature, melting said mixture within said crucible, growing the crystal, by controlled cooling of the molten mixture, controlled cooling of said crystal to ambient temperature, recovering said crystal; and which is characterized in that the oxide(s) resulting from the reaction between said fluorinating agent(s) and said oxide(s), the impurity or impurities, can be discharged from said crucible, in view of the intrinsic permeability of the material constituting it. Said process is particularly adapted for preparing 157 nm transmitting lithography excimer laser optical fluoride crystals in graphite crucibles.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an immersion agent that can be used to couple optical waveguides to optical components. The invention is also directed to the use of an immersion agent, a coupling arrangement and a method for coupling optical waveguides to other optical components; for example, an optical chip.

Abstract: The main steps of the invention comprise feeding a sample signal (SOTDR) into the transmission line or path (2) using a multiplexer (8) during a current signal transmission and measuring the intensity of said sample signal (SOTDR), which is also coupled out via the multiplexer (80 and is reflected partially at faulty or error points. Part of the signal to be transmitted (Sin) can also be deviated by means of a coupling device (4) and the intensity of this proportion of the signal (Sup) can be compared with a threshold value. By evaluating the intensities that are measured, it is possible to detect and localize defects in the transmission path (2) or judge the quality of the transmission path (2 without interrupting the transmission.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of detecting sub-ppm lead impurity levels in a below 200 nm transmitting optical calcium fluoride crystal. The method includes providing a below 200 nm wavelength transmitting optical calcium fluoride crystal, providing a fluorescence spectrometer having a light source for producing a 200 to 210 nm selectable wavelength incident radiation and a detector for detecting excited luminescence light in the wavelength range of 210-260 nm produced by the incident radiation, exciting a first luminescence area of the crystal with the 200 to 210 nm selectable wavelength incident radiation and detecting with the detector excited 210 to 260 luminescence light produced from the crystal luminescence area by the 200 to 210 incident radiation to provide a lead ppb impurity level measurement less than 100 ppb. The invention provides for improved manufacturing of below 200 nm wavelength optical elements and optical fluoride crystals such as ultralow lead contaminated calcium fluoride.

Abstract: The invention relates to an excimer laser which includes a source of a laser beam and one or more windows which include barium fluoride. Another aspect of the invention relates to an excimer laser which includes a source of a laser beam, one or more windows which include barium fluoride and a source for annealing the one or more windows. Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of producing a predetermined narrow width laser beam.

Abstract: The invention provides coated optical lithography elements and methods of coating optical elements, and particularly optical photolithography elements for use in below 240 nm optical photolithography systems utilizing vacuum ultraviolet light (VUV) lithography wavelengths no greater than about 193 nm, such as VUV projection lithography systems utilizing wavelengths in the 193 nm or 157 nm region. The optical devices manipulate vacuum ultraviolet lithography light less than 250 nm utilizing a deposited silicon oxyfluoride film. The deposited silicon oxyfluoride optical coating assists in the manipulation of incident light and protects the underlying optical materials, layers, and surfaces.

Abstract: An optical device is described comprising at least one fiber-optic component arrange inside said device and a particular polymer composition capable of holding said optical component(s) in a predetermined position and protecting them inside said device. The polymer composition is a silicone elastomer obtained by crosslinking a mixture comprising at least one polysiloxane containing two or more hydrogen-siloxane functional groups of formula >SiH—O—, and at least one polysiloxane containing at least two vinyl groups of formula —CH═H2, where said polysiloxane are reacted in an amount such that the molar ratio between the hydrogen-siloxane groups and the vinyl groups is less than or equal to 1:1. The polymer composition has extremely low emission of hydrogen, less than 1 cm3 per kg of composition.

Abstract: A nucleant seed for epitaxial growth of single-crystal CaF2 includes SrF2. In some embodiments, YF3, LaF3, or rare-earth fluoride is substituted into the SrF2 structure.

Abstract: In order to manufacture an integrated optical circuit, a first mask is formed on a first region of a substrate and defines the shape of at least one optical device (such as a waveguide). A second mask is formed on a second region of the substrate and corresponds to an optical structure (such as a periodic array structure or photonic crystal) to be formed in a second region of the substrate distinct from the first region. The first mask and the second mask are each made of a material which substantially resists a predetermined etching gas. The second mask may formed, patterned, and etched without adversely affecting the characteristics of the first mask.

Abstract: The invention is directed to the use of multifunctional thiol compounds as adhesion promoters and/or primers to enhance the adhesion of photo or electron beam curable polymers, coatings, adhesives, or sealants to gold, other precious metals, and their alloys. Actinic radiation and electron beam (“EB”) radiation can be used to cure such compositions. The resulting cured compositions are optically clear, low Tg (≦30° C.), high refractive index (>1.50 at 1541 nm), thermally, oxidatively, and hydrolytically stable adhesives and/or coatings for glass and/or metal. The adhesive compositions containing such multifunction thiols can survive, without delamination or separation, testing conditions of 85° C. and 85% relative humidity (“RH”) for a time in excess of 500 hours.

Abstract: The invention is directed to metal-free grating for use in wavelength optical communications, and in particular to metal-free, reflective immersed diffraction gratings. The gratings of the invention area made of at least a first material 1 of refractive index n1 and a second material of refractive index n2. Materials 1 and 2 must obey the Expressions: (I) n1>n2, (II) n1>&lgr;/2L>n2 for single diffracted order at Littrow, and (III) n2/n1<Sin|&thgr;j|<1; wherein &lgr; is the wavelength of the light incident on the grating, &thgr;j represents any and all propagation angles of incident and diffracted light, and L is the grating period. The grating profile is located at the interface of material 1 and to material 2. In one embodiment, the grating profile is made from additional material 3 and 4 of refractive index n3 and n4, respectively, and is placed between materials 1 and 2. In another embodiment the grating is made from silicon.

Abstract: The invention provides a UV below 200 nm lithography method utilizing mixed calcium strontium fluoride crystals. The invention includes providing a below 200 nm radiation source for producing <200-nm light, providing a plurality of mixed calcium strontium cubic fluoride crystal optical elements, with the fluoride crystals comprised of a combination of calcium strontium cations having different optical polarizabilities such as to produce an overall isotropic polarizability which minimizes the fluoride crystal spatial dispersion below 200 nm, transmitting <200-nm light through the cubic fluoride crystal optical elements, forming a lithography pattern with the light, reducing the lithography pattern and projecting the lithography pattern with the fluoride crystal optical elements onto a UV radiation sensitive lithography printing medium to form a printed lithographic pattern. The invention includes making the mixed fluoride crystals, optical element blanks thereof and optical lithography elements.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the manufacturing of high purity optical flouride crystals, the making of purified optical flouride crystal feedstocks and to the anionic purification of optical fluoride crystalline materials. The invention relates generally to methods for removing oxide impurities from optical fluoride crystal feedstocks. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for preparing purified optical fluoride crystal feedstocks and the use of the feedstock in manufacturing VUV<200 nm transmission optical fluoride crystals for VUV lithography/laser systems.

Abstract: The invention provides a ≧4 kHz repetition rate argon fluoride excimer laser system for producing an UV wavelength 193 nm output. The ≧4 kHz repetition rate argon fluoride excimer laser system includes an argon fluoride excimer laser chamber for producing a 193 nm discharge at a pulse repetition rate ≧4 kHz. The ≧4 kHz repetition rate argon fluoride excimer laser chamber includes magnesium fluoride crystal optic windows for outputting the 193 nm discharge as a ≧4 kHz repetition rate excimer laser 193 nm output with the magnesium fluoride crystal optic windows having a 255 nm induced absorption less than 0.08 Abs/42 mm when exposed to 5 million pulses of 193 nm light a fluence ≧40 mj/cm2/pulse and a 42 mm crystal 120 nm transmission of at least 30%.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process and a device for growing single crystals, especially of CaF2. Within the framework of said process, a stack of crucibles (100, 101, . . . , 106, . . . ) containing the starting material is successively moved translationally through a melting chamber (C1) and an annealing chamber (C2), said movement being continuous, smooth and without interruption. The present invention provides for the preparation of fluoride, single crystals, particularly optical fluoride single crystals and optical UV &lgr;<248 nm lithography element blanks, most preferably CaF2.

Abstract: The invention describes an optical waveguide and a fiberoptic isolator wherein the optical waveguide rotating the plane of polarization of coupled light consists of a fiber core (11) exhibiting the Faraday effect, a fiber cladding (3) and a coating (5) concentrically surrounding the YIG-doped fiber core (11) and generating a permanent magnetic field. The outer coating (5) is manufactured from a material that is magnetizable or has magnetic properties, and the outer coating (5) is subdivided into two half-shells whose magnetic orientations are mutually opposed.

Abstract: Stress-induced photoelastic birefringence compensates for intrinsic birefringence of cubic crystalline structures in deep ultraviolet (less than 200 nm) microlithographic imaging systems. Both the photoelastic birefringence and the intrinsic birefringence are expressed in a tensor format simplified by the symmetries of cubic crystalline structures. The stress-induced photoelastic birefringence can be sized to individually compensate for intrinsic birefringence exhibited in the same optical elements or preferably to collectively compensate for the cumulative effects of intrinsic birefringence in other optical elements in the lithography system.

Abstract: A fiber optic coupler comprising a plurality of single-mode optical fibers, each of which is tapered to form a small diameter section that extends in contiguous relationship with the small diameter sections of the other fibers to form a coupling region. Each of the fibers has a core surrounded by a cladding of refractive index lower than that of the core. At least one of the fibers has a refractive index pedestal of refractive index ni between said core and cladding, wherein n1>ni>n2, n1 and n2 being the refractive indices of the core and cladding, respectively.