Quick answer: Etching Fused Silica covers Fused Silica (CTE 0.55 x 10^-6 /K, 185 nm – 2.5 um); Etching to depth control +/-1 um. Prototypes ship in 5-10 working days.
etching fused silica 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 etching recipe – feeds, coolant, tooling – differs from what works on ordinary float glass. The line runs buffered HF wet benches and masked lithography line and holds depth control +/-1 um.
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 | Etching |
| Working tolerance | depth control +/-1 um |
| Minimum feature | 10 um channel width (masked HF) |
| Surface finish | isotropic smooth walls |
| Thickness window | 0.1 – 5 mm |
| Edge condition | stress-relief etch available |
| 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: isotropic undercut roughly equals depth, so masks are compensated at layout time.
- 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 Etching is microchannels, cavities and frosted textures without mechanical stress. The honest limit: isotropic undercut roughly equals depth, so masks are compensated at layout time. Both belong on the drawing before quoting, not after.
One material, many routes: on Fused Silica we also quote sandblasting, dicing, double-side polishing, lapping, and multi-step drawings are the norm rather than the exception.
Where these parts end up
etching fused silica shows up across mems devices (cap wafers, TGV substrates, motion-sensor lids); optical sensors (sensor windows, filter caps, lens covers); aerospace optics (sensor windows, star-tracker flats, radiation-tolerant ports). Background reading on the underlying material science: RP Photonics: fused silica.
Dimensions still moving? Configure this part live in the 3D + 2D builder below, or open the full custom glass machining 3D + 2D builder to start from a blank canvas.
Useful companion pages: CNC machining capability, fused silica wafers 2-12 inch, ITO coating process.
Buyer questions, answered
What equipment runs the etching work?
Buffered HF wet benches and masked lithography line.
Is there a minimum order for etching fused silica?
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.