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Chemical Polishing

Chemical Polishing

 

What is Chemical Polishing?

The term chemical polishing is not restricted to methods such as dip etch polishing, but can also be applied to applications where the work is carried out on polishing pads with specimen holding fixtures. The principal advantage of chemical polishing over mechanical polishing lies in the fact that it reduces sub-surface damage to the crystal structure.

 

 

 

Mechanical Vs Chemical Polishing

In mechanical polishing, fine scratches will be introduced into the material during the initial coarse polishing, and associated with these scrathes will be dislocations and deformations of the material. Even though finer polishing agents reduce the visibility of these defects,considerable damange can still exist in the form of filled-in scratches, microcracks, pits and dislocations.

In chemical polishing, material is removed from the surface of the sample by a dissolving process which does not damage the sub-surface structure and there is no evidence of this 'Beilby' layer or the associated microcracks and dislocations occurring. The surface produced is then ideal for applications where lack of polishing damage is of primary concern.

Cross-sectional view illustrating defects remaining after lapping and mechanical polishing processes

Chemical Polishing Applications

Typical instances where chemical polishing is required is in the final etch polishing of:

  • Thin and ultra thin wafers of semiconductor materials such as Gallium Arsenide and other III-V compounds with or without microcircuitry or other device architecture.
  • Materials such as Cadmium Telluride and Mercury Cadmium Telluride for use in infra-red detectors and focal plane arrays.
  • Materials such as Indium Phosphide and Cadmium Sulphide for use in opto-electronic applications.
  • Materials such as Gallium Arsenide and Cadmium Telluride as essential preparation for epitaxial growth where an improperly polished surface can seriously affect the opientation of the growth crystals.

 

For more information on our chemical mechanical polishing systems and solutions and what Logitech technology will do for your business, call us on +44 (0)1389 875444 or complete our contact form.