The present invention relates to a glass substrate including a pair of main surfaces and an end surface, and having a surface layer diffusion Sn atom concentration of 2.0×10.sup.18 atomic/cm.sup.3 or more and 1.4×10.sup.19 atomic/cm.sup.3 or less in at least one of the main surfaces, the surface layer diffusion Sn atom concentration being obtained by subtracting an Sn atom concentration of an inside of the glass substrate from an Sn atom concentration of a surface layer of the glass substrate, in which the Sn atom concentration of a surface layer of the glass substrate is defined as an Sn atom concentration at a depth of 0.1 to 0.3 μm from the main surface and the Sn atom concentration of an inside of the glass substrate is defined as an Sn atom concentration at a depth of 9.0 to 9.2 μm from the main surface.

A copper-doped glass formed by placing a target glass in a container, surrounding the target glass with a powder mixture comprised of SiO.sub.2 powder and Cu.sub.2S powder, wherein the SiO.sub.2 powder and the Cu.sub.2S powder are mixed according to the formula (SiO.sub.2).sub.(1-x)(Cu.sub.2S).sub.x, where 0.01<x<0.1, and heated to a temperature of between 800° C. and 1150° C. for a duration of between 1 and 10 hours.

A shaped glass article is provided that is ultrathin, has two surfaces and one or more edges joining the two surfaces, and a thickness between the two surfaces. The shaped ultrathin glass article has at least one curved area with a non-vanishing surface curvature with a minimal curvature radius R if no external forces are applied. A method for producing a shaped glass article is also provided that includes providing an ultrathin glass with two surfaces and one or more edges joining the two surfaces, having a thickness between the two surfaces and shaping the ultrathin glass to a shaped ultrathin glass article by forming at least one curved area having a non-vanishing surface curvature with a minimal curvature radius R if no external forces are applied to the shaped ultrathin glass article.

A device for inducing by thermal poling a spatially controlled refractive index gradient inside at least one amorphous inorganic material to be treated, includes a structured electrode arranged on the surface or in proximity to the surface of the material to be treated; and at least one dielectric material. The structured electrode includes at least one conductive zone and at least one non-conductive zone and it is confined between the amorphous inorganic material to be treated and the dielectric material.

Method for strengthening and bending glass sheets, wherein a saturated saline solution is applied to glass sheets, followed by a rapid temperature change, allowing the salt to 5 precipitate. The glass sheets are then evenly coated with a recrystallized salt. Subsequently, the glass sheets are ion exchanged and bent at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time.

A synthetic quartz glass lid for use in optical device packages is prepared by furnishing a synthetic quartz glass lid precursor comprising a synthetic quartz glass substrate (1) and a metal or metal compound film (2), and forming a metal base adhesive layer (3) on the metal or metal compound film (2). The metal or metal compound film contains Ag, Bi, and at least one element selected from P, Sb, Sn and In.

A nanocomposite includes: a matrix phase; and a functional area disposed in the matrix phase. The functional area contains monocrystal fine particles.

A cooking apparatus top plate includes a glass ceramic substrate having a chemically strengthened uneven structure with an average surface roughness Ra of 0.1 to 1.0 m. A cooking vessel is placeable on the top plate to be heating by the cooking apparatus. A method for processing a glass ceramic substrate includes forming a top surface to have an uneven structure and chemically strengthening the top surface that has the uneven structure. An induction heating apparatus includes a cooking apparatus top plate and a plurality of induction heating coils for heating the cooking vessel placed on the top plate.

Chemically-strengthened thin glass having modified curvature and a method for making the same. The method includes providing a thin glass substrate which has host alkali ions situated in its surface regions, and possesses a treatment-advantaged surface region and a treatment-disadvantaged surface region located opposing each other; conducting a step of ion-exchange with invasive alkali ions having an average ionic radius larger than the average ionic radius of the host alkali ions, thereby producing a chemically-strengthened substrate which is characterized by an undesired curvature (warpage), and then conducting a step of reverse ion-exchange with reversing alkali ions having an average ionic radius equal to, or smaller than, the average ionic radius of the host alkali ions before ion-exchange, so as to produce a chemically-strengthened substrate having either less curvature or having a predetermined profile of curvature, which is not present in the chemically-strengthened glass substrate prior to reverse ion-exchange.

A transparent timepiece component, in particular a watch glass, has a substantially planar or curved interior surface, and has mainly a transparent material colored by a zone of modified chemical composition within the component through an introduction of at least one coloring chemical element of the transparent material, this zone of modified chemical composition extending in one part only of the total thickness of the timepiece component.