Edge Grinding Fused Silica Wafers – Fused Silica (CTE 0.55 x 10^-6 /K, 185 nm – 2.5 um); Edge Grinding to chamfer +/-0.05 mm. No minimum order; DFM review included with every RFQ.
Ask any process engineer what makes fused silica difficult and the answer is specific: its hardness and brittleness demand diamond tooling and controlled feeds. Our edge grinding line is tooled around exactly that – CNC edge grinders with profiled diamond wheels – holding chamfer +/-0.05 mm on parts from 0.1 – 25 mm thick.
Specification envelope
| 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 | Edge Grinding |
| Working tolerance | chamfer +/-0.05 mm |
| Minimum feature | 0.1 mm chamfer leg |
| Surface finish | ground C or R profile, polish option |
| Thickness window | 0.1 – 25 mm |
| Edge condition | C-chamfer, R-round, pencil or OG profile |
| 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 |
Capabilities and limits
The core strength of Edge Grinding is edge strength – a finished chamfer roughly doubles the bend strength of a cut edge. The honest limit: profiles below 0.1 mm leg length are lapped by hand and priced per edge. Both belong on the drawing before quoting, not after.
One material, many routes: on Fused Silica we also quote etching, double-side polishing, polishing, and multi-step drawings are the norm rather than the exception.
Design guidance
The shop-floor rules that matter here:
- Material note: its hardness and brittleness demand diamond tooling and controlled feeds.
- Process boundary: profiles below 0.1 mm leg length are lapped by hand and priced per edge.
- 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.
Who orders this
The recurring buyers of edge grinding fused silica wafers: aerospace optics (sensor windows, star-tracker flats, radiation-tolerant ports); optical sensors (sensor windows, filter caps, lens covers); microfluidic devices (chips, manifolds, via plates, bonded stacks). 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, holes and edges design guide, microfluidic glass applications.
Frequently asked questions
What equipment runs the edge grinding work?
CNC edge grinders with profiled diamond wheels.
Is there a minimum order for edge grinding 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.
What files do you need for a quote?
A dimensioned PDF plus DXF or STEP geometry. If only a sketch exists, our drawing review service formalizes it before quoting.
Specifications on this page were last reviewed by our engineering team in September 2026.