Investigation for material removal mechanism in copper chemical mechanical polishing with quasi-continuum method

Quasi-continuum method is adopted to investigate the material removal mechanism of chemical mechanical polishing of copper. The grinding process on the single crystal workpiece of abrasive particles of different sizes is simulated to analyze material deformation, stress distribution in the workpiece, chip formation and cutting force fluctuation. The result shows that shear zone is formed at 45° to the polishing direction with dislocations and sliding in the bulk. Smaller abrasive particles result in bad surface quality, while larger particles generate larger plastic deformation and deeper residual stress layer. Particle size exerts little influence on the tangential cutting force.