Provided is an optical fiber glass preform in which a starting rod and a dummy glass are hardly separated from each other, and a method for manufacturing the glass preform. In the optical fiber glass preform, the dummy glass is fitted into one end of the starting rod, and a part of the dummy glass and the starting rod are surrounded by a clad glass. In the manufacturing method, at the time of connecting the starting rod and the dummy glass, a shape is adjusted in such a manner that an iron is brought into contact with a connection portion and is moved from a starting rod side toward a dummy glass side with appliance of a load.

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 μm and about 0.25 μm. 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 halogencontaining gas in the closed system at a temperature of less than about 1200° C.

Provided is an optical fiber glass preform in which a starting rod and a dummy glass are hardly separated from each other, and a method for manufacturing the glass preform. In the optical fiber glass preform, the dummy glass is fitted into one end of the starting rod, and a part of the dummy glass and the starting rod are surrounded by a clad glass. In the manufacturing method, at the time of connecting the starting rod and the dummy glass, a shape is adjusted in such a manner that an iron is brought into contact with a connection portion and is moved from a starting rod side toward a dummy glass side with appliance of a load.

Provided is a silica glass member which exhibits high optical transparency to vacuum ultraviolet light and has a low thermal expansion coefficient of 4.0−10.sup.−7/K or less at near room temperature, particularly a silica glass member which is suitable as a photomask substrate to be used in a double patterning exposure process using an ArF excimer laser (193 nm) as a light source. The silica glass member is used in a photolithography process using a vacuum ultraviolet light source, in which the fluorine concentration is 1 wt % or more and 5 wt % or less, and the thermal expansion coefficient at from 20° C. to 50° C. is 4.0×10.sup.−7/K or less.

An optical component made of synthetic quartz glass includes a glass structure substantially free of oxygen defect sites and having a hydrogen content of 0.1×10.sup.16 to 1.0×10.sup.18 molecules/cm.sup.3, an SiH group content of less than 2×10.sup.17 molecules/cm.sup.3, a hydroxyl group content of 0.1 to 100 wt. ppm, and an Active temperature of less than 1070° C. The optical component undergoes a laser-induced change in the refractive index in response to irradiation by a radiation with a wavelength of 193 nm using 5×10.sup.9 pulses with a pulse width of 125 ns and a respective energy density of 500 μJ/cm.sup.2 at a pulse repetition frequency of 2000 Hz. The change totals a first measured value M.sub.193 nm when measured using the applied wavelength of 193 nm and a second measured value M.sub.633 nm when measured using a measured wavelength of 633 nm. The ratio M.sub.193 nm/M.sub.633 nm is less than 1.7.

The present invention relates to a method of forming an optical fiber precursor including: forming an alkali metal doped tube; inserting an optical fiber core rod within the alkali metal doped tube; forming a cladding jacket around the alkali metal doped tube; and diffusing an alkali metal from the alkali metal doped tube through a surface of the optical fiber core rod. The present invention further relates to an optical fiber preform having: an optical fiber core rod; an alkali metal doped tube surrounding the optical fiber core rod; and a cladding jacket surrounding the alkali metal doped tube.

A method of manufacturing a quartz glass fibre includes producing a quartz glass primary preform by modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) in a quartz glass substrate tube and inserting the quartz glass primary preform into a glass jacketing tube. Defect-generating UV radiation is irridiated into the cross-sectional area of the glass jacketing tube while combining the quartz glass primary preform with the glass jacketing tube in the jacketing process to form a cladding layer to a secondary preform. A quartz glass fibre is pulled from the secondary preform.

Provided is a titanium-containing quartz glass having excellent UV absorption. The quartz glass absorbs ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 250 nm or less, ozone generation-related adverse effects on the human body, are prevented, a decrease in transmittance of the quartz glass in the range from near-ultraviolet to visible light due to being colored when irradiated with ultraviolet rays does not occur, absorption build-up or lamp burst-inducing deformation build-up, which is caused by a structural change in the quartz glass that occurs in the range of 200-300 nm when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, is suppressed, and a decrease in transmittance at intended wavelength ranges does not occur even when exposed to ultraviolet rays. The titanium-containing quartz glass having excellent UV absorption is colorless, wherein the average concentration of titanium is 10-500 ppm, the concentration of OH group is 10-350 ppm.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an optical fiber preform for obtaining an optical fiber with low transmission loss. A core preform included in the optical fiber preform comprises three or more core portions, which are each produced by a rod-in-collapse method, and in which both their alkali metal element concentration and chlorine concentration are independently controlled. In two or more manufacturing steps of the manufacturing steps for each of the three or more core portions, an alkali metal element is added. As a result, the mean alkali metal element concentration in the whole core preform is controlled to 7 atomic ppm or more and 70 atomic ppm or less.

One aspect relates to a process for the preparation of a quartz glass body. The process includes providing a silicon dioxide granulate I prepared from a pyrogenically produced silicon dioxide powder, treating the silicon dioxide granulate I with a reactant at a temperature in a range from 1000 to 1300° C., and making a glass melt out of the silicon dioxide granulate. A quartz glass body is made out of at least a part of the glass melt. Furthermore, one aspect relates to a quartz glass body obtainable by this process. Furthermore, one aspect relates to a light guide, an illuminant, and a formed body, each of which is obtainable by further processing of the quartz glass body. One aspect additionally relates to a process for the preparation of a silicon dioxide granulate II.