Development of a polishing pad for achieving high finishing efficiency by considering the lubrication conditions

—Evaluation of polishing characteristics under wide speed conditions—

Abstract

Recently, the demand for polishing pads that can be applied to a wide range of polishing conditions has increased rapidly. To meet these demands, the influence of the relative speed between the polishing pad and workpiece on the removal rate was discussed based on consideration of the lubrication conditions. Pad specifications for achieving high finishing efficiency were clarified and a structure-controlled polishing pad was developed based on these specifications. A series of finishing experiments for optical glass indicated that high finishing efficiency and good frictional characteristics were obtained under a wide range of pad rotational speed conditions.