Zirconia (ZrO₂) V-Grooves

Want a fiber alignment that’s “plug once, stay aligned for years”? Zirconia (ZrO₂) V-grooves combine material strength and precision machining to solve alignment and durability headaches.
Fuse zirconia strength and thermal stability into V-groove fiber alignment: materials, groove angles, micron tolerances and polishing workflows for long-term reliability.

Why choose zirconia for V-grooves?

Higher strength & impact resistance — survives frequent insertions and vibration.
Thermal stability — smaller dimensional drift under thermal cycling, lowering optical path shift.
Wear resistance & longevity — less maintenance, longer service life.

These are measurable engineering benefits, not marketing fluff.

Quick spec sheet

Material: Y-TZP high-density zirconia (density ≥ 98%)
Typical groove angles: 70.5° (standard, self-centering), 90°, 60° — custom available
Common groove width (for 125 µm fiber): 135 ±10 µm (adjustable)
Surface roughness (Ra): Standard ≤ 0.05 µm; optical grade ≤ 0.02 µm
Key positioning tolerance: ±2–5 µm (critical); general ±10 µm

Practical design tips

Use 70.5° for self-centering — best passive centering for cylindrical fibers; simplifies assembly.
Don’t skip bottom fillets — a 5–20 µm round reduces stress concentration and crack risk.
Allow assembly clearance — fiber diameter +10–30 µm makes insertion and adhesive placement reliable.
Polish matters — Ra ≤ 0.02 µm reduces coupling loss and interface scattering.

Our manufacturing flow

Forming: Isostatic pressing or injection molding to ensure dense, dimensionally stable blanks.
Rough → Finish machining: Diamond tooling on CNC (3/4/5-axis); tight process control to avoid chipping.
Clean & dry: Ultrasonic cleaning + clean-oven drying to prepare for assembly/adhesive.

Pro tip: Stepwise material removal, low feed, high spindle speed and effective cooling minimize cracks.

Typical applications

Fiber-to-module coupling and optical module alignment
Photonic integrated circuit (PIC) packaging alignment references
Harsh environment fiber fixation (aerospace, defense, industrial sensing)
Precision alignment in medical endoscopes and imaging probes

Zirconia vs. Alumina

If you need strength, insertion life, and vibration resistance — choose zirconia; if cost and mild conditions dominate, alumina remains a valid alternative.

Want “align once, stay aligned for years”? Send your requirements or drawings — we’ll make an engineering sample and provide measurement reports.