Dicing Fused Silica Wafers: Fused Silica (CTE 0.55 x 10^-6 /K, 185 nm – 2.5 um); Dicing to +/-0.01 mm index accuracy. Single-piece prototypes to production volumes, quoted from your drawing.
dicing fused silica wafers is a materials problem before it is a machining problem. Fused Silica has near-zero thermal expansion and a Knoop hardness of 500 kg/mm2, so the dicing recipe – feeds, coolant, tooling – differs from what works on ordinary float glass. The line runs automatic dicing saws with resin and metal-bond blades and holds +/-0.01 mm index accuracy.
Key parameters
| Material | Fused Silica (JGS1 (UV), JGS2 (standard), JGS3 (IR)) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 0.55 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 1,100 C continuous |
| Transmission range | 185 nm – 2.5 um |
| Density | 2.20 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 500 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.458 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.10 – 50 mm |
| Maximum blank size | 450 x 450 mm |
| Process | Dicing |
| Working tolerance | +/-0.01 mm index accuracy |
| Minimum feature | 30 um kerf |
| Surface finish | edge chipping under 15 um |
| Thickness window | 0.05 – 3 mm |
| Edge condition | saw edge, optional etch relief |
| Wafer formats | 2", 3", 4", 6", 8" and 12" with SEMI flats or notch |
| TTV | under 3 – 5 um by format |
| RFQ inputs | PDF/DXF/STEP drawing, quantity brackets, surface and edge spec |
Design guidance
Three items decide most of the cost and lead time on this work:
- Material note: its hardness and brittleness demand diamond tooling and controlled feeds.
- Process boundary: straight-line cuts only; contours route to laser cutting instead.
- Over-specification is the quiet budget killer: a 20/10 scratch-dig face costs roughly three times an 80/50 face, so grade each surface individually.
The full rules live in our tolerance design guide and holes and edges design guide.
Capabilities and limits
The core strength of Dicing is singulating wafers into dies with tight index accuracy and low chipping. The honest limit: straight-line cuts only; contours route to laser cutting instead. Both belong on the drawing before quoting, not after.
One material, many routes: on Fused Silica we also quote sandblasting, ultrasonic machining, double-side polishing, drilling, and multi-step drawings are the norm rather than the exception.
Typical applications
Orders for dicing fused silica wafers cluster in laser systems (windows, beam splitters, debris shields); laboratory instruments (cuvettes, sight glasses, stir-cell windows); optical sensors (sensor windows, filter caps, lens covers). Background reading on the underlying material science: RP Photonics: fused silica.
The fastest route to a quote is geometry: use the 3D builder below, draw a dimensioned 2D drawing from it, or open the site-wide custom glass machining 3D + 2D builder for fully custom parts.
Engineers scoping this work usually also review wafer dicing process, fused silica wafer applications, fused silica wafers 2-12 inch.
Frequently asked questions
How does Fused Silica behave under heat?
CTE is 0.55 x 10^-6 /K and continuous service reaches 1,100 C continuous, which is what drives its use where near-zero thermal expansion matters.
What accuracy does dicing hold?
+/-0.01 mm index accuracy with minimum features of 30 um kerf. Straight-line cuts only; contours route to laser cutting instead.
What equipment runs the dicing work?
Automatic dicing saws with resin and metal-bond blades.
Is there a minimum order for dicing fused silica wafers?
No. Single prototypes are accepted, and pricing steps down at 10, 100 and 1,000 pieces.
How fast can prototypes ship?
Machined prototypes ship in 5 – 10 working days. Coated or bonded parts add 1 – 2 weeks depending on queue slots.
Specifications on this page were last reviewed by our engineering team in August 2026.