Newly Developed Fully Automatic Polishing Machines for Obtainable Super-Smooth Surfaces of Compound Semiconductor Wafers

Abstract In order to obtain mirror-like, damage free and flat surfaces on compound semiconductor wafers, a progressive mechanical and chemical polishing (P-MAC polishing) has been proposed and a new polishing machine has been developed. This polishing method, characterized by changing/shifting the polishing mechanism positively as polishing advances, is able to finish GcAs single crystal pieces satisfactorily using smooth and soft polishing tools and bromine-methanol solution. Then, the wafer polishing machine, which has a unique construction to change working conditions or polishing mechanism, and has an automatic cassette to cassette system, was built. For example, performances on polished GaAs (100) wafers of 2 inches in diameter are: flatness