Ultra-Thin Polishing
Fused silica, glass, aluminum nitride, alumina, silicon and sapphire — polished as thin as 10 microns
When your design calls for a wafer thinner than anyone else will quote, Valley Design delivers. We polish fused silica, optical glass, ceramics, silicon and sapphire to thicknesses as low as 10 microns — with optical surface finishes, micron-level tolerances, and thousands of finished wafers in stock.
Ultra-thin polishing removes material from a wafer or substrate in controlled, microscopic increments until it reaches a target thickness measured in tens of microns — while holding tight tolerances on thickness, flatness, and surface finish. It’s the process behind components in smartphones, sensors, MEMS devices, optics, and microelectronics, where every micron of package height matters.
Ultra-thin capabilities
Depending on your unique material type and configuration, we may be able to meet one or more of the following specifications:
10–15 µm
Smallest thickness
±1 µm
Thickness tolerances
<1 µm TTV
Total thickness variation
1/4 Wave
Surface flatness
<5 Å Ra
Polished surface roughness
We’re the experts in ultra-thin.
With over 50 years of industry-leading expertise, our techniques enable us to reach true ultra-thin specifications — down to as small as 10–15 µm thick — across several material types.
Ready to get started with your next project?
Reach out to our Technical Team Request a Quote
How thin can we go?
Minimum achievable thickness depends on the material and part geometry. Here’s where we stand today:
| Material |
Minimum Thickness |
| Fused Silica & Fused Quartz |
10–15 µm |
| Optical Glass (AF45, Borofloat, B270, D263, Eagle, BK7) |
10–15 µm |
| Silicon |
15–20 µm |
| Aluminum Nitride (AlN) |
15–20 µm |
| 96% & 99.6% Alumina |
20 µm |
| Sapphire, A-plane |
25 µm |
| Sapphire, R-plane |
50 µm |
| Sapphire, C-plane |
75 µm |
Sapphire minimums vary by orientation plane due to differences in internal stress across A, R, and C planes.
Standard ultra-thin wafer sizes
For fused silica, glass, ceramics, and sapphire, we produce some of the thinnest wafers in the industry — many available from stock for immediate shipment:
| Wafer Diameter |
Standard Thickness (Depending on Material) |
| 10mm |
10–15 µm |
| 1″ (25.4mm) |
25 µm |
| 50.8mm |
50 µm |
| 75.6mm |
60 µm |
| 100mm |
75 µm |
| 125mm |
85 µm |
| 150mm |
100 µm |
| 200mm |
125 µm |
| 300mm |
150 µm |
Need a custom size or thickness? Contact us — custom diameters, squares, and thicknesses are routine work for us.
Handling, backing, and customer-supplied material
At the thicknesses above, ultra-thin wafers remain relatively easy to handle with standard care. Parts can be thinned even further, but below these limits they must be adhered to a supportive backing plate; the end user dismounts and cleans the wafer at their facility.
Already have material? We routinely thin and polish customer-supplied wafers and die to ultra-thin thicknesses — including finished devices that need backside thinning.
Why engineers choose Valley Design
For over 50 years, we’ve been the shop that research labs and manufacturers call when a part is too thin, too flat, or too precise for anyone else. We’re AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certified, ITAR registered, and we keep thousands of finished wafers and substrates in stock — so prototypes ship in days, not months.
Please note: Our ability to achieve these specifications is entirely dependent on the material type, dimensions, surface finish, manufacturer, condition, and other factors. We invite you to contact our team at info@valleydesign.com or via the Contact Us Form below to inquire about your unique project requirements.