Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is a critical technology in the planarization of multilevel metallization systems and shallow-trench isolation in semiconductor manufacturing. Other emerging applications for this technology include flat-panel displays, magnetic data storage and microelectromechanical systems. The rapid emergence of copper as the conducting material for integrated circuits has further pushed CMP technology to the forefront of semiconductor manufacturing. However, a basic understanding of the CMP process, which is necessary to enable further advances, is inadequate. This...