Chemical mechanical polishing: the impact of a new technology on an industry

Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP), a technology born in IBM Confidential culture, has remained true to its heritage not only because of its significant competitive advantage, but because of the history of its birth in the semiconductor industry. In spite of this heritage, CMP has grown from its invention in 1984, to one of the fastest growing segments of the semiconductor equipment industry. In 1997 the growth rate of CMP equipment averaged 30% in comparison with the rest of the semiconductor equipment market. The factors that enabled this dynamic growth include both the technical advantages of CMP and the history of its development and subsequent spread into the industry. The growth of CMP technology has spawned new business and supplier networks as well as new fields of study. As the science of CMP evolves, it continues to borrow from several diverse technical fields and has created a new science within semiconductors.