Quick answer: Grinding Quartz Glass covers Quartz Glass (CTE 0.59 x 10^-6 /K, 260 nm – 2.5 um); Grinding to flatness to 5 um over 100 mm. Prototypes ship in 5-10 working days.
Ask any process engineer what makes quartz glass difficult and the answer is specific: natural-quartz batches vary in metallic ppm, so semiconductor lots need certs per melt. Our grinding line is tooled around exactly that – rotary surface grinders and double-disc machines with diamond wheels – holding flatness to 5 um over 100 mm on parts from 0.3 – 60 mm thick.
Specification envelope
| Material | Quartz Glass (GE214-equivalent, semiconductor grade) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 0.59 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 1,050 C continuous |
| Transmission range | 260 nm – 2.5 um |
| Density | 2.20 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 500 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.459 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.20 – 60 mm |
| Maximum blank size | 450 mm diameter |
| Process | Grinding |
| Working tolerance | flatness to 5 um over 100 mm |
| Minimum feature | thickness to +/-0.005 mm |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2 – 0.8 um |
| Thickness window | 0.3 – 60 mm |
| Edge condition | ground perimeter, squareness 0.02 mm |
| RFQ inputs | PDF/DXF/STEP drawing, quantity brackets, surface and edge spec |
Process window
Grinding earns its place through bringing thickness, flatness and parallelism into calibrated tolerance before polish. Its boundary condition – subsurface damage of 5 – 15 um must be budgeted and removed by polishing on optical faces – is the first thing our DFM review checks.
Beyond this page, Quartz Glass routinely runs through dicing, ultrasonic machining, drilling, lapping in our shop – most real parts combine two or three of these steps.
Specification advice
Three items decide most of the cost and lead time on this work:
- Material note: natural-quartz batches vary in metallic ppm, so semiconductor lots need certs per melt.
- Process boundary: subsurface damage of 5 – 15 um must be budgeted and removed by polishing on optical faces.
- 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.
For the complete framework, see the tolerance design guide and the holes and edges design guide.
Who orders this
The recurring buyers of grinding quartz glass: semiconductor equipment (view ports, wafer carriers, plasma rings, chamber windows); laboratory instruments (cuvettes, sight glasses, stir-cell windows). Background reading on the underlying material science: ScienceDirect: quartz glass.
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 CNC machining capability, high-temperature quartz windows, infrared windows.
Frequently asked questions
What equipment runs the grinding work?
Rotary surface grinders and double-disc machines with diamond wheels.
Is there a minimum order for grinding quartz glass?
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.