Chemical boundary lubrication in chemical-mechanical planarization

Chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) is a synergistic tribological process. It occurs between a polymeric polishing pad, a solid body to be made smooth, between which is a chemical slurry containing nanoparticles of abrasive materials. CMP functions similar to chemical boundary lubrication of mechanical systems, except that the objective of the CMP is to remove materials in a controlled manner. In this article, the lubricating behaviors of CMP are reviewed.