Shape classification of fumed silica abrasive and its effects on chemical mechanical polishing

The performance of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) was determined by the morphological characteristics of the abrasive particle. In this study, the shape of the aggregate of fumed silica was confirmed by a method of characterizing the morphology of the particles using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Each aggregate was classified into four types—linear, branched, ellipsoidal, and spheroidal—and the shape distribution of a fumed-silica...