Machining/Grinding ULE® Glass Ceramic

CiDRA® Precision Services, LLC has years of experience manufacturing micron level tolerance products from ULE® glass ceramics. We leverage our in-depth dicing, drilling, milling, grinding, and polishing capability to manufacture the highest quality ULE® products. For those applications with exacting optical requirements, CiDRA® Precision Services, LLC has the ability to clean, polish, and apply coatings.

Whether you need prototypes or volume production, CiDRA® Precision Services, LLC is here to help. Please contact us to discuss your applications.

About ULE®

Corning’s ULE® (Ultra Low Expansion) Glass has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion which has made it the material of choice in applications requiring ultra stable thermomechanical performance. ULE® is a glass-ceramic material which is manufactured to have a large percentage of minute quartz crystals encapsulated in an amorphous glass matrix. Scattering from the crystalline interfaces limits this material’s use in applications requiring low transmission losses. The ultra low coefficient of expansion of ULE® results from the fact that the amorphous phase has a positive coefficient of thermal expansion, while the crystalline phase has a negative coefficient of expansion at room temperature. The combination of the two phases results in very small thermal expansion over most useful temperature ranges.

This glass ceramic is similar in many respects to Zerodur® manufactured by Schott Glass.

ULE® Ceramic Glass Applications

ULE® Properties

 

Units

ULE® Glass
Softening Point C 1490
Annealing Point C 1000
Strain Point C 890
Max Use Temperature C 800
Thermal Conductivity W/(m C) 1.31
Specific Heat J/(Jg C) 766
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion 1/C (x10^-6) -0.03 to 0.03
Color Transparent
Moh Hardness
Knoop Hardness kg/mm^2 430 - 460
Density g/cm^3 2.21
Compressive Strength MPa
Tensile Strength MPa 49.8
Bending Strength GPa
Young's Modulus MPa 68
Poisson's ratio 0.17
Fracture Toughness MPa m^1/2
Dielectric Strength kv/cm
Dielectric Constant (@1MHz) 4
Dielectric Loss Tangent 0.00002
Resistivity ohm/cm 1x10^11.6
Usable Transmission Range um 0.50 - 2.5
Refractive Index (@550nm) 1.48
The information provided in this table is for room temperature only, and is a compilation of publicly available data.  This information is provided for comparison purposes only, and is not intended to be warrantable.   Further, CiDRA® Precision Services, LLC disclaims any and all liability from errors, inaccuracies, or omissions.

 

Please contact us if you would like to discuss your ULE® dicing, drilling, milling, grinding, polishing or any other machining applications.