| abstract |
A high purity ball-shaped optical article formed of silica glass useful in optical systems employed in photolithography applications. The optical article is characterized by end faces and a side face positioned between the end faces. The side face is externally projected beyond the outline of the end faces and has a spherical configuration. The optical article is uniquely characterized by a smaller number of cords per unit area, viewed in a direction perpendicular to a line connecting the end faces, than the number of cords per unit area viewed in a direction along the line connecting the end faces. The article is also defined by optical homogeneity in a direction perpendicular to the line connecting the end faces. |