Chemical mechanical planarization, or chemical mechanical polishing as it is simultaneously referred to, has emerged as one of the critical processes in semiconductor manufacturing and in the production of other related products and devices, MEMS for example. Since its introduction some 15+ years ago CMP, as it is commonly called, has moved steadily into new and challenging areas of semiconductor fabrication. Demands on it for consistent, efficient and cost-effective processing have been steady. This has continued in the face of steadily decreasing feature sizes, impressive increases in wafer...

Chemical mechanical planarization, or chemical mechanical polishing as it is simultaneously referred to, has emerged as one of the critical processes in semiconductor manufacturing and in the production of other related products and devices, MEMS for example. Since its introduction some 15+ years ago CMP, as it is commonly called, has moved steadily into new and challenging areas of semiconductor fabrication. Demands on it for consistent, efficient and cost-effective processing have been steady. This has continued in the face of steadily decreasing feature sizes, impressive increases in wafer...