There is provided a method of processing an oxygen-containing workpiece. The method of processing an oxygen-containing workpiece includes controlling a fluorine concentration in the oxygen-containing workpiece based on at least one of a kind of a fluorine-containing processing gas, a processing temperature and a processing pressure used for processing the oxygen-containing workpiece.

In order to improve the yield of an optical fiber base material, provided is a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an optical fiber base material by forming a soot deposition body on a surface of a target rod, including a main burner that generates glass microparticles to be deposited on the target rod while moving in a longitudinal direction of the target rod; a pair of side burners that are arranged outside a movement range of the main burner and heat both ends of the soot deposition body formed on the surface of the target rod; and a shielding member that prevents the glass microparticles generated by the main burner from being deposited on the target rod farther outward than a segment of the target rod sandwiched by the pair of side burners.

A method of forming an optical element is provided. The method includes producing silica-based soot particles using chemical vapor deposition, the silica-based soot particles having an average particle size of between about 0.05 m and about 0.25 m. The method also includes forming a soot compact from the silica-based soot particles and doping the soot compact with a halogen in a closed system by contacting the silica-based soot compact with a halogen-containing gas in the closed system at a temperature of less than about 1200 C.

A method for producing synthetic fused quartz is provided. The method includes evaporating a feedstock material which contains at least one polymerizable polyalkylsiloxane compound, and supplying the feedstock material vapor to a reaction zone, wherein the feedstock material vapor is converted by oxidation and/or by hydrolysis into SiO.sub.2 particles. The feedstock material vapor is passed through a membrane filter as a cleaning device to reduce the formation of gel, which is typically associated with the production of synthetic fused quartz.

An optical circuit to be manufactured on a wafer has a problem that characteristics are distributed (biased) in a wafer plane due to various causes in manufacturing. The present invention is characterized in that refractive index distribution of an upper cladding is adjusted on the basis of refractive index distribution of a lower cladding and a core film, a film thickness of the core film, and in-plane distribution such as an execution refractive index of an optical waveguide (calculated from a width of a core pattern).

A process for the production of a fluorinated quartz glass including the steps of generating SiO.sub.2 particles in a synthesis burner; depositing the resulting SiO.sub.2 particles into a body; and vitrifying the resulting body, wherein a fluorinating agent having a boiling point greater than or equal to ?10? C. is supplied to the synthesis burner.

A process for the production of a fluorinated quartz glass including the steps of generating SiO.sub.2 particles in a synthesis burner; depositing the resulting SiO.sub.2 particles into a body; and vitrifying the resulting body, wherein a fluorinating agent having a boiling point greater than or equal to ?10? C. is supplied to the synthesis burner.

A method for joining an optical part made of quartz glass and a supporting part made of ceramic includes forming a metal layer on a surface of the supporting part by electroless plating, polishing the formed metal layer with a polishing pad to form a first smoothed face on the supporting part surface, polishing a surface of the optical part with the polishing pad to form a second smoothed face, cleaning the first smoothed face and the second smoothed face with ultrasonic cleaning water, forming a first metal film on the first smoothed face by vapor deposition and forming a second metal film on the second smoothed face by vapor deposition, and joining the first metal film and the second metal film to each other by interatomic joining by atomic diffusion between the faces at which the first metal film and the second metal film contact with each other.

A method for preparing quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity, includes providing silica powders including hydroxyl groups. The silica powders are dehydroxylated, which includes drying the silica powders at a first temperature, heating the silica powders up to a second temperature and introducing a first oxidizing gas including halogen gas, thereby obtaining first dehydroxylated powders, and heating the first dehydroxylated powders up to a third temperature and introducing a second oxidizing gas including oxygen or ozone, thereby obtaining second dehydroxylated powders. The second dehydroxylated powders are heated up to a fourth temperature to obtain a vitrified body. The vitrified body is cooled to obtain the quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity. The quartz glass prepared by the above method has low content of hydroxyl and high purity. A quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity is also provided.

A method for preparing quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity, includes providing silica powders including hydroxyl groups. The silica powders are dehydroxylated, which includes drying the silica powders at a first temperature, heating the silica powders up to a second temperature and introducing a first oxidizing gas including halogen gas, thereby obtaining first dehydroxylated powders, and heating the first dehydroxylated powders up to a third temperature and introducing a second oxidizing gas including oxygen or ozone, thereby obtaining second dehydroxylated powders. The second dehydroxylated powders are heated up to a fourth temperature to obtain a vitrified body. The vitrified body is cooled to obtain the quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity. The quartz glass prepared by the above method has low content of hydroxyl and high purity. A quartz glass with low content of hydroxyl and high purity is also provided.