Review on the various strategies adopted for the polishing of silicon wafer — A chemical perspective

Abstract

The need for sophisticated materials with outstanding mechanical capabilities and high-quality surface finishes has risen as a result of recent innovations in the engineering sector. Lapping, grinding, and honing are some of the traditional finishing procedures that are being phased out in favour of non-traditional finishing methods. MFAAF operations (magnetic-field assisted abrasive-based finishing) are precision material removal methods that have been used on a wide range of materials ranging from brittle to ductile and magnetic to nonmagnetic. The silicon wafer is the most important component in microelectromechanical systems. The surface and subsurface quality of these wafers affects their performance. In order to address the current spike in demand for microelectronics-based devices, efficient and cost-effective procedures for producing silicon wafers with high-quality surface finishes are essential. The current review describes the chemical perspective and study of silicon wafer polishing, utilizing procedures like chemical–mechanical polishing (CMP) and abrasive-based finishing techniques. Also, the operating principles, process parameters, and present limitations of such processes are discussed in this review paper, which subsequently includes a survey of relevant literature. Additionally, the potential advancements of such procedures are also highlighted.