Chemical-mechanical polishing of oxide thin films: The rebinder-westwood phenomenon revisited

The role of hydrogen interactions and diffusion in oxide thin films subjected to chemical-mechanical polishing is assessed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results are discussed in the context of the efficacy of hydrogen transport on controlling the properties of thin oxide films and structural descriptions of oxide glasses. The implications of these results are for the first time put into the context of the early work of Rebinder and Westwood on chemical induced surface modifications in materials and their effect on wear behavior.