For critical applications in:

• Fused quartz and fused silica flat optical components
• WDM
• DWDM
• MEMS
• Ultra-thin fused quartz
• Silicon-on-insulator

Unique services provided include edge/angle polishing, precision dicing, fiber array polishing, ultra-thin components, tight tolerances, super finishes (< 10/5 scratch-dig), long rod end polishing, IC die thinning and other hard to find state-of-the-art solutions. Fused quartz wafers are also available in 300mm diameter to SEMI specifications. Many other sizes are available from stock. Please call or e-mail for a quotation to meet your requirements.

Fused quartz, fused silica and MEMS related web sites:

• https://valleydesign.com/quartz-silica/ Fused silica fused quartz substrates and wafers
•  MEMS and bonded SOI ultra-thin silicon wafers
• https://valleydesign.com/ceramic-substrates/ Dicing hybrid semiconductor and MEMS circuits
• valleydesign.com/7940.htm Properties of Corning 7980 Fused Silica

Return to Home Page: Polished silicon wafers and polishing services

By adjusting the level of neutron radiation, material resistivity can be altered without introducing external dopants and therefore guaranteeing material purity. This NTD type Float Zone Silicon is available in <1-1-1> and <1-0-0> orientations up to 150mm diameter ingots and wafers.

Return to Home Page: Polished silicon wafers and polishing services

Various windows, plates and disks that can be optically polished to better than 0.5 microinches (20/10), are excellent as substrates and also in semiconductor form for applications such as: resistor networks, thin and thick film microelectronics, vacuum vapor and sputtering depositions, photomasks, electro optics, semiconductor monitor wafers and other precision optical components.

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) CNC Machining Services provided by Valley Design:

• AlN CNC Milling
• Aluminum Nitride CNC Grinding
• AlN CNC Hole Drilling
• Aluminum Nitride CNC Core Drilling
• AlN CNC Edging
• Aluminum Nitride 3-D Contouring
• CNC Machined Custom Features and Custom Shaping

CNC machining using 5 axis technology involves using a CNC milling machine to move a part or cutting tool along 5 different axes simultaneously. This enables the machining of very complex parts out of a wide variety of materials including Aluminum Nitride (AlN) ceramics. The 5 axes are the typical X, Y and Z, as well as 2 rotational axes A and C. The A axis rotates in the X, while the C axis rotates in the Z axis. 5 axis CNC machining on Aluminum Nitride can significantly improve accuracy, registration and true position, and at times 5 different operations can be reduced to 1 or 2 operations, increasing efficiency. That is why 5 axis CNC machining is especially useful for critical applications such as aerospace, medical, telecommunications, semiconductor and micro electronics. Utilizing 5 axis CNC machining on Aluminum Nitride can reduce processing time, as there is a push towards single set up machining (sometimes referred to as “done in one” to reduce lead time and increase efficiency.

Workholding is a major element in producing successful results from CNC machining of Aluminum Nitride and other ceramics. Valley Design has 50 years of experience in workholding and custom tooling and fixturing. This experience has been gained through the many years of working with a wide variety of materials, both hard and soft. We have also applied the knowledge learned from all of the various other machining functions we perform including precision lapping and polishing, backgrinding, core drilling, dicing, edge and angle polishing, OD and ID grinding, Blanchard grinding and more. In our facility, we operate our own machine shop for producing custom tooling and fixturing for even the most challenging projects.

Valley can process Aluminum Nitride parts from as small as .127mm square to as large as 4.5 “square as a stocked standard size. Larger geometries are available on a custom order basis. Typical stock thicknesses range from .001″ up to .500″ thick, thicker AlN is also available as a custom ordered item. Valley can thin and polish AlN parts 1cm square to as thin as 15-20 microns. A wide range of surface textures and surface finishes are available on CNC machined Aluminum Nitride from 40-60″ Ra, to fine machined 25 Ra”. Valley also polishes Aluminum Nitride to 10-15 Ra”, or can fine polish to as low as 1″ Ra. The Haas CNC has a size limitation of 30″ in the X axis, 20″ in the Y axis, and 16″ in the Z axis. Machine travel in the B axis tilt is +110 degrees to -35 degrees, and in the C axis is 360 degrees.

Measuring and inspecting complex 3D parts is often one of the more difficult tasks to perform as a function of manufacturing these types of parts. When a Certified First Article is required, Valley has the capability to offer CMM metrology services. A Coordinate Measurement Machine is used to measure the physical geometrical characteristics of an object, and measurements are defined by a probe which precisely records the X, Y and Z coordinates of an object. Valley also utilizes a Keyence IM Instant Measurement system which is a state-of-the-art, high precision, non contact metrology instrument, capable of measuring up to 99 different features per part.

CNC Machining Aluminum Nitride, Lapping, Polishing, Dicing

Many companies offer traditional CNC machining services on materials such as aluminum, stainless steel and other metal alloys. Valley Design is unique in that along with CNC machining of these standard metals, we can also provide CNC machining services on a wide variety of hard materials including Aluminum Nitride and other ceramics. Aluminum Nitride (AlN) is the perfect material if high thermal conductivity and electrical insulation is required. Aluminum Nitride has a coefficient of thermal expansion and electrical insulation properties that closely match Silicon, making it a useful material for electronic applications where high temperatures and heat dissipation is often a problem.

Applications for Aluminum Nitride CNC Machining:

• Heat Sinks
• Heat Spreaders
• Substrates for electronic packages
• Insulators for high power semiconductors
• Thermocouple insulators
• Microwave electronics
• High power electronics
• Chip carriers for sensors and detectors
• Chucks and clamp rings for semiconductor processing equipment

Valley Design can provide all your CNC machined Aluminum Nitride (AlN) requirements. We also have a large inventory of raw Aluminum Nitride, as well as 1000’s of lapped and polished AlN finished wafers and substrates. Our Aluminum Nitride CNC machining is backed by 50 years of experience. We can provide any desired finished part by combining our CNC machining capabilities with our other conventional machining techniques including lapping, polishing, dicing, ultrasonic drilling, corner chamfering and radii forming. Along with CNC machining of AlN, we also lap, polish, dice and CNC machine a wide range of other materials such as Fused Silica, Glass, Quartz, Sapphire, other ceramics such as 96% and 99.6% Alumina, Macor, Silicon, Germanium and metals including Aluminum, Stainless Steel and other alloys. We also have experience with exotic alloys such as Inconel and Hastelloy, and plastics including glass filled plastics such as PEEK and Ultem. We can also CNC machine, lap and polish your provided material of any type. See our online stock list for readily available parts or contact us with your specific project requirements, and we will be happy to work with you.

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) CNC machining related websites:

• Aluminum Nitride available from stock
• Polished Aluminum Nitride AlN substrates and wafers
• Dicing Aluminum Nitride substrates
• Laser drilling of Aluminum Nitride substrates
• Desirable properties of Aluminum Nitride
• Related web sites Aluminum Nitride

Related CNC machining websites from Valley Design:

• Ceramic-cnc-machining
• Custom-cnc-machining.com
• Fused-silica-cnc-machining
• Glass-cnc-machining.com
• Quartz-cnc-machining

Valley laps and polishes a wide variety of materials for multiple applications:

• Large metal parts and tiny 1/16” square metal shims to +/- 20 millionths of an inch (.000020”)
• SEMI standard wafers from 2” diameter up to 450mm diameter are available in lapped and polished ceramics, glass, fused silica and quartz, silicon, sapphire and stainless steel, polished to angstrom level finishes.
• Precise aluminum, stainless steel, and molybdenum mirrors can be lapped and polished flat to ¼ um and gold plated for IR applications.
• Ultra-thin Sapphire : A plane Sapphire 1cm square x 25um thick, R plane Sapphire to 50um thick, C plane Sapphire to 80um thick, polished surface finishes.
• Precision lapping and polishing of all materials: Teflon, PEEK, Silicon Carbide, Silicon, Stainless Steel, Copper, Brass, Glass, Fused Silica, Quartz, Aluminum Nitride, 96% – 99.6% Alumina, Sapphire, Molybdenum, Germanium, Polyimides, Filter Glass, Macor, Steatite and many others.

 

Product applications with lapping and polishing required:

• Thin film substrates and wafers
• Thick film substrates and wafers
• Precision shims, spacers, washers and submounts
• Flat optical components including beamsplitters, etalons, polarizers, waveguides
• Substrates for MEMS, electro optical and microelectronic applications
• Laser diode mounts
• Capacitors and sensors
• Astronomical mirrors and wind tunnels
• Vacuum chucks and electrostatic chucks
• Solar cell substrates
• Seals of all types

 

At Valley Design, we offer a world of precision through one of the most diversified lapping and polishing facilities in the world.  Our experience over the past 37 years with all types of materials has enabled us to offer the best finishes and tightest tolerances in the industry.  We also offer 4 axis CNC micromachining capabilities along with our lapping and polishing and dicing services, which makes Valley a one-stop shop for all your precision machining requirements.

Typical Tolerances:
Thickness tolerances: +/- .5um (20 millionths of an inch)
Parallelism: +/- .25um (10 millionths of an inch), to as low as 1 arc second
Flatness: λ/10 = 1/5 band

Typical Surface Finish Guidelines:

	Lapped	Polished
96% Alumina	10-20u” Ra	2-3u” Ra
99.6% Alumina	8-16u” Ra	1-2u” Ra
Aluminum	20u” Ra	5-10nm Ra
Aluminum Nitride	25u” Ra	2u” Ra
Fused Silica	25u” Ra	<  7 Å Ra (20/10 scratch/dig)
Glass	25u” Ra	< 10 Å Ra (60/40 scratch/dig)
Sapphire	10-20u” Ra	< 10 Å Ra (60/40 scratch/dig)
Stainless Steel	15-20u” Ra	< 50 Å Ra

To convert any of these measurements, go to our online conversion calculator

Any of these materials can be polished to higher levels of surface quality and are also available from stock.   Contact us for all your precision lapping and polishing requirements.

Features may include through holes and pockets, corner chamfers and radii, edge chamfers and steps, complex geometries with tight tolerances.  These parts can also be lapped or polished with optical quality surface finishes.   We can also machine extremely small shapes, rounds, squares, rectangles and anything else you can conceive – Valley has done it all for over 37 years with customers all over the world.

Contact us for your ULTRA-THIN requirements, on all materials ranging from plexiglass to sapphire.

 

 

When the industry began converting from 200mm to 300mm fabs, the price per die was reduced by 30-40%.  A wafer fabrication step, such as an etch step, or a lithography step can be performed on more chips per wafer as roughly the square of the increase in wafer diameter, while the cost of performing the step goes up more slowly than the square of the wafer diameter. Although moving from 300mm to 450mm fabrication poses significant challenges, similar productivity gains would expect to be realized.

Valley Design is in the midst of this development providing 450mm diameter ceramics, 450mm glass wafers, wafer backlapping, thinning, edge rounding, stress relieving, hole drilling and other machining services related to the manufacture of 450mm wafers and 450mm technology.

Recent projects include:

• Soda Lime Glass 450mm diameter x 1.1mm + .1mm thick, transparent finish, with notch
• Soda Lime Glass 450mm diameter x .7mm + .1mm thick, with reference flat
• Soda Lime Glass 450mm diameter x 1.1mm thick with one side lapped non transparent 25u” Ra
• Borofloat Glass 450mm diameter x 1.1mm thick, 60/40 scratch/dig
• Soda Lime Glass 450mm square x .4mm thick
• Silicon blanks 450mm diameter polished to 1-2u” Ra, with radiused edges
• Corning 7980 0F UV Grade Fused Silica 450mm diameter x 5mm thick, optically polished both sides 40/20 scratch/dig, flat to 2-3 waves per inch
• Customer supplied 450mm diameter chuck for Valley to thin the ceramic dielectric side from .030” to .005” thick, with 2-4u” Ra finish

Contact Valley Design for all your 450mm technology needs.

450mm Technology Related Web Pages:

The Race to 450mm – https://reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USBRE85B06J20120612
Billions Invested In Global 450 Consortium – https://governor.ny.gov/press/092711chiptechnologyinvestment/

Founded in 1975, Valley Design is the world standard for excellence, quality and precision and is an industry leader in advanced materials processing. Ceramic materials of all types and hardness can be machined to the highest accuracy and repeatability with the tightest tolerances. Advanced surface roughness, finishes, flatness are achievable utilizing advanced 4 – 5 axis CNC machining and grinding equipment. Precision CMM & 3D surface profile metrology assures outstanding quality and product performance.

Ceramic Materials CNC Machined:

• 96% – 99.8% Alumina (Al203)
• Aluminum Nitride (AlN)
• Silicon Carbide (SiC)
• Glass Ceramics
• Macor
• Porous Ceramics
• Ferrites
• Crystals Exotic
• Technical Ceramics
• ULE Glass Ceramic
• Steatite
• Silicon Nitride (SiN)
• Black Ceramic
• Many other hard materials

COMPLEX FEATURES CNC MACHINED & ADVANCED CNC CAPABILITIES

Utilizing 3 + 2 simultaneous 5 Axis CNC precision machining, complex components and assemblies can be fabricated. Features are achieved with through spindle cooling, vacuum hold down and advanced, non-contact laser-based tool settings.

COMPLEX FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Thru-holes
• Pockets
• Slots
• Channels
• Steps
• Radii
• Domed profiles
• Grooves
• Trenches
• Textures
• Slits

ADVANCED CAPABILITIES INCLUDE:

• Size range from as small as .127mm (.005” sq.) to over 450mm (17.75” diameter)
• Accuracy to micron levels ± .5um (microns)
• Ultra-thin thickness to 10-15um thick
• Ultra flat to 1/10 wave
• Concave / Convex surface profiles
• Ceramic surface roughness ranging from
  • 32u”Ra – 64u”Ra – CNC Machined Finish
  • 25u” Ra – CNC Fine Machined Finish
  • 10-20u”Ra – Standard Lapped Finish
  • 4 – 8u”Ra – Diamond Lapped Finish
  • 2-4u”Ra – Slightly Reflective Finish
  • .5-1u”Ra – Highly Reflective Finish

These various surface finishes are achievable combining CNC machining capabilities with Valley’s comprehensive lapping and polishing expertise.

CNC CERAMIC COMPONENTS INCLUDE:

• Wafer Chucks
• Vacuum Chucks
• Substrates for ESC Electrostatic Chucks
• Dielectrics and Insulators
• Submounts
• Substrates
• Wafers
• Shims
• Spacers
• Washers
• Rings

ADVANTAGES OF CNC MACHINING OF CERAMICS

There are numerous advantages in the use of hard materials such as Aluminum Nitride (AIN), Alumina (A1203) Ceramic Sapphire, Silicon Carbide (SIC), over typical metals such as Aluminum Steel and other Alloys.

By choosing to create custom complex components by 5 axis CNC machine you get the benefits of materials that are harder, stronger in compression than most metals. They can be electrically or thermally insolating or conducting.

The ability to withstand harsh and corrosive environments and extreme temperatures are just a few of the multiple myriad of applications when replacing metals with Aluminum Nitride AN, ceramics (Alumina) Sapphire, SIC and other hard materials can mean the difference of a good product with a superior long lasting product.

Alumina Ceramics (Aluminum Oxide, Al203) are the most commonly used technical ceramics due to their general useful properties and performance. Alumina ceramics are commonly subdivided to their content rating commonly ranging from 96% to 99.8%. High purity Alumina enhances wear and corrosion resistance in both general use & also specialized applications where electrical insulation, dielectric strength and low dielectric loss are crucial.

Alumina Ceramics Al203 have very well balanced properties of insulation, thermal conductivity and breaking strength. One of its unique properties is its surface roughness. Having excellent adhesion with thin and thick film metallization is due to its very fine particles. Good smoothness, flatness with less porosity, minimal warpage, bending and undulation make it an excellent choice for many semiconductor chuck applications. Valley Design has been CNC machining and refurbishing Alumina chucks of all types including electrostatic chucks in production volumes for over 25 years. For more info go to valleydesign.com/electrostatic-chuck-refinishing.html

ADVANTAGES OF CNC MACHINING OF MACOR CERAMICS

Macor has many characteristics designed from ceramics. Macor can be CNC machined into complex shapes easier than other traditional ceramics such as Alumina ceramic A1203 and Aluminum Nitride.

Macor’s machineability properties are due to its unique microstructure array of Mica Crystals dispersed within Alumina Borosilicate matrix. CNC machining of Macor is more forgiving than most other ceramics, reducing issues such as cracks and chip outs with continuous use at 800 degrees C. The Coefficient of Expansion (CTE) of Macor is similar to most metals and sealing glasses. It is non-wetting, exhibits zero porosity and is extremely dimensionally stable. Macor is an excellent insulator particularly in elevated temperature environments and at high voltages and varied frequencies. Typical applications include ultra high vacuum environments, aerospace, electrical insulators, semiconductor thermal chucks and IC test sockets.

Single Crystal Quartz
Single Crystal quartz is manufactured from crushed natural quartz.  The quality is evaluated on the basis of its Q factor, a measure of its piezoelectric response as an indication of the purity of the crystal.  It is available in plates up to 150mm.  Valley Design processes all quartz orientations, and provides various quartz machining services including lapping and polishing, thinning, dicing, cutting, wafering, precision hole drilling from AT-cut to Z cut single crystal quartz.

Fused Quartz
Fused Quartz such as GE 124 and GE 214 is made by melting crystalline silica in the form of stone, sand or rock.  Fused Quartz has a much lower OH content than Fused Silica, but Fused Silica transmits better in the UV.  Both materials are highly pure with good chemical and shock resistance, and low thermal expansion coefficient.

Fused Quartz Properties

Fused Silica
Fused Silica is synthetic amorphous Silicon Dioxide, and is non crystalline in structure.  Fused Silica combines very low thermal expansion coefficient with good optical qualities and excellent transmission.

Fused Silica Properties

Valley design processes all these materials and can machine, dice, lap, polish to micron tolerances, Angstrom level surface finishes, and micron thicknesses with no size limitations.  Come to Valley Design for all your single crystal quartz, fused quartz and fused silica CNC machining needs.

Valley Design has been precision CNC machining, dicing, lapping and polishing a wide variety of materials for over 50 years.

Valley Design offers a full range of precision CNC machining services to fulfill your custom CNC machining requirements.  The custom CNC micromachining experts at Valley Design can produce parts with micron level tolerances in a variety of hard materials including Glass, Fused Silica, Aluminum Nitride and Alumina ceramics, Sapphire, Silicon Carbide and metals such as Aluminum, and Copper. We can provide custom CNC machining services on your material, or on Valley supplied material from our large inventory of stock.

Precision CNC Micromachining Services

Our precision CNC micromachining capabilities are available as a stand alone service, or may be utilized in conjunction with our precision lapping, polishing and dicing services.  Using our 5-axis Haas CNC equipment, machined features may include slots, pockets, channels, bevels, through-holes, radii, steps, edge and corner chamfers, counterbores and other complex shapes with tight tolerances.  Our CNC vertical milling and dicing equipment can produce parts as small as .127mm square and as large as 30” x 20” in geometry.  Depending on the material type and size, we can handle any thickness from ultra-thin 10-12 microns, to thick parts with a height limitation from the CNC of 20”.

Custom CNC Machining Services

Our customers return to us time and time again to meet their custom CNC machining needs because of our keen attention to detail and refusal to provide anything less than the highest quality CNC micromachining services. We are AS9100D / ISO 9001:2015 certified, and providing high quality products and services to our customers is of paramount importance to us.  Providing precision CNC machining (or Computer Numerical Control machining) on hard materials is a state-of-the-art process, and we treat it as such.  We know that your success rides on our ability to deliver flawless custom CNC micromachining along with the best possible precision lapping, polishing and dicing services.

We have experience providing precision CNC machining services to clients from many different industries including semiconductor, medical, aerospace, communications, photonics and research, and we are familiar with a wide range of custom CNC machining needs on a wide range of materials both hard and soft.

For more detailed applications, please visit:

https://valleydesign.com/micro-machining.htm
To find out more about Valley Design’s custom CNC micromachining capabilities, please send us your specifications and drawings to discuss your requirements so that we can collaborate with you to find a solution.

With the recent acquisition of Haas 5 axis CNC equipment, Valley can now offer a complete array of finishing services to complement our traditional precision lapping, polishing, dicing, grinding services:

• 450mm technology in Glass, Ceramics and Silicon wafers
• CNC machining of vacuum chucks to 450mm diameter
• Vacuum wafer chuck reconditioning
• DISCO wafer and substrate dicing chuck reconditioning
• Flat lapping of metals, machined parts and chucks
• Ultra-thin Fused Silica, Glass, Ceramics, Silicon and Germanium, optically polished
• Astronomical aluminum mirrors
• Laser slag removal
• Indars Interferometer for measuring thin polished wafers
• Nuclear plant valve polishing
• Thousands of fused silica, glass and ceramic wafers and substrates from stock