Quartz glass component used in the production of semiconductors

An article for use in production of semiconductors, said article comprising:

• a quartz glass component having a surface structure comprising structural elements;
• said structural elements each projecting upwardly of the component and each having an upper portion providing a substantially flat top surface in a first plane;
• the surface structure including upwardly disposed floor portions between adjacent structural elements, said floor portion being substantially flat and generally parallel to the first plane;
• said top surface having a peripheral boundary edge, and said structural elements further having side portions extending obliquely downward into the component and outward from the boundary edge of the top surface to the adjacent floor portion;
• the side portions having a side surface which is flat or segmented into one or more step formations;
• the side portions of the structural elements and the floor portions of the component surface defining grooves in the component between the structural elements;
• said surface structure having an average roughness depth between 0.1 .mu.m and 10 .mu.m;
• the structural elements having an average maximum dimension, the maximum dimension for each structural element being measured as the maximum distance for each structural element between points where the side portions meet the floor portions, said average dimensions being in the range of 30 to 180 .mu.m;
• at least one of said side portions being segmented into one or more step formations, said step formations having steps with a depth of 0.5 to 5 .mu.m;
• and
• said floor portions in said grooves being at least 1 .mu.m in size between the adjacent structural elements.