Relationship between polishing performance and viscoelasticity of epoxy resin polishing pads

Abstract

Polishing performances of glass using epoxy resin polishing pads from the aspect of their mechanical properties are described. Material removal rates are independent to the hardness of the epoxy resin pads. The different types of epoxy resin pads are produced by varying the composition of the resin and the curing agent. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the epoxy and conventional urethane resin polishing pads was conducted to investigate the relationship between the material removal rates and the mechanical properties of the epoxy resin polishing pads. DMA measurement indicates that the epoxy resin polishing pads showed a significant difference in the storage and loss modulus compared to the conventional urethane pads. Moreover, the epoxy resin pads showed a higher loss tangent (tan δ) than the urethane resin polishing pad. From the investigation of the relationship between the material removal rates and tan δ of the polishing pads, the strong positive correlation between the material rate and tan δ is observed. Finally, the dependence of polishing conditions on the material removal rate by the epoxy and urethane resin pads is evaluated. It is found that the difference in the material removal rate between the epoxy and urethane resin pads becomes larger under a condition of a low abrasive concentration and a high rotation rate.