High purity synthetic silica and items such as semiconductor jigs manufactured therefrom

Abstract

Hollow ingots of transparent synthetic vitreous silica glass of external diameter greater than 400 mm and internal diameter greater than 300 mm are disclosed. The ingots are substantially free from bubbles or inclusions greater than 100 μm in diameter, have no more than 100 ppB of any individual metallic impurity, and have chlorine concentration less than 5 ppM. Also disclosed are methods for producing such ingots, in which a porous soot body of density greater than 0.4 g/cm3 is deposited on an oxidation resistant mandrel. The soot body is dehydrated on a mandrel comprising graphite, carbon fibre reinforced carbon, silicon carbide, silicon impregnated silicon carbide, silicon carbide-coated graphite or vitreous silica, either under vacuum or in the presence of a reducing gas, and then sintered to transparent pore-free glass under vacuum or in an atmosphere of helium.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.