A synthetic quartz glass substrate having a controlled hydrogen molecule concentration is prepared by (a) hot shaping a synthetic quartz glass ingot into a glass block, (b) slicing the glass block into a glass plate, (c) annealing the glass plate at 500-1,250 C. for 15-60 hours, (d) hydrogen doping treatment of the glass plate in a hydrogen gas atmosphere at 300-450 C. for 20-40 hours, and (e) dehydrogenation treatment of the glass plate at 200-400 C. for 5-10 hours.

This disclosure relates to a method for producing a mirror of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, a first mirror part and a second mirror part being provided, which are in contact in the region of a first connecting surface of the first mirror part and a second connecting surface of the second mirror part. For forming a durable connection between the first mirror part and the second mirror part, the first mirror part and the second mirror part are heated up to a holding temperature of at least 400? C. and are kept at the holding temperature during a holding time. After the holding time has elapsed, the first mirror part and the second mirror part are cooled down to a first cooling temperature at a first cooling rate of less than or equal to 100 K/h.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a contour in a planar substrate and for separating the contour from the substrate, in particular for producing an internal contour in a planar substrate and for removing the internal contour from the substrate, wherein, in a contour definition step by means of a laser beam guided over the substrate along a contour line characterizing the contour to be produced, a large number of individual zones of internal damage is produced in the substrate material, in a crack definition step by means of a laser beam guided over the substrate along a plurality of crack line portions, which, viewed from the contour line, leads away at an angle a>0, and into the contour to be separated, respectively a large number of individual zones of internal damage is produced in the substrate material and, in a material removal step implemented after the contour definition step and after the crack definition step by means of a material-removing laser beam guided over the substrate along a material removal line which extends along the contour line but at a spacing from the latter and also in the contour to be separated, furthermore which preferably cuts the crack line portions, the substrate material is removed over the entire substrate thickness.

Disclosed herein are glass-based articles having a first surface having an edge, wherein a maximum optical retardation of the first surface is at the edge and the maximum optical retardation is less than or equal to about 40 nm and wherein the optical retardation decreases from the edge toward a central region of the first surface, the central region having a boundary defined by a distance from the edge toward a center point of the first surface, wherein the distance is ? of the shortest distance from the edge to the center point.

A glass plate is a rectangular plate having a thickness less than 0.68 mm. A square measurement region having a length of 100 mm per side and cut out from a central region of the glass plate has a degree of flatness of 30 ?m or less. When subjected to first heat treatment in which the measurement region is kept at 700? C. for 4 hours and then cooled from 700? C. to 400? C. at a rate of 50? C./hour, the measurement region has a thermal contraction rate of 130 ppm or less. When subjected to second heat treatment in which the measurement region is kept at Tg-160? C. for 60 seconds and then cooled to room temperature in ambient air, where Tg (? C.) represents a glass transition temperature of the glass plate, an amount of change in the degree of flatness of the measurement region is 10 ?m or less.

The present invention provides an imprint method of performing a forming process which includes supplying an imprint material on a substrate and then forming a pattern of the imprint material on the substrate by using a mold, the method comprising: dispensing, on the substrate, an adhesion material to bring the substrate and the imprint material into tight contact with each other; performing a first annealing process of heating and cooling the substrate on which the adhesion material has been dispensed; conveying the substrate to which the first annealing process has been performed; performing a second annealing process of heating and cooling the substrate which has been conveyed in the conveying; and performing the forming process on the substrate to which the second annealing process has been performed.

A laser treatment device performing treatment by irradiating a target object having a plate surface with laser light, including: a light-transmitting region transmitting laser light emitted onto the target object; a rectifier that has a rectifier surface separated from the target object and extending along the plate surface of the target object and outward from the end of the light-transmitting region; a gas supply unit that feeds a gas to a gap between one side of the rectifier surface and the light-transmitting region, in a position separated from the light-transmitting region; and a gas exhaust unit that exhausts, on the other side that is on the other side of the light-transmitting region from the one side, the gas present in a gap between the rectifier surface and the target object from the gap, in a position separated from the light-transmitting region, thereby generating a stable local gas atmosphere.

Thin amorphous or partially crystalline lithium-containing and conducting sulfide or oxysulfide glass electrode/separator members are prepared from a layer of molten glass or of glass powder. The resulting glass films are formed to lie face-to face against a lithium metal anode or a sodium metal anode and a cathode and to provide for good transport of lithium ions between the electrodes during repeated cycling of the cell and to prevent shorting of the cell by dendrites growing from the lithium metal or sodium metal anode.

The present invention relates to an alkali-free glass substrate, having a difference ?n between the maximum value and the minimum value of a refractive index at a cross-section of a glass sheet of 0.40?10.sup.?5 or less. According to the alkali-free glass substrate of the present invention, the polishing ability can be extremely improved and the polishing time is shortened, so that the production efficiency can be improved.

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a processed member including removing a first uplift portion from a plate member containing the first uplift portion and a support portion connecting to the first uplift portion, in which the plate member includes a first main surface and a second main surface, the first uplift portion is a projection portion in the first main surface and a portion in the second main surface, corresponding to the projection portion is a recess portion, and the first uplift portion has a line shape in a top view.