Comparison of Ceria Nanoparticle Concentrations in Effluent from Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Silicon Dioxide

This work measured and compared the effluent from the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of silicon dioxide using ceria slurry and ceria fixed abrasive. CMP waste streams were tested for total solids, cerium, silicon, and 6 nm to 20 μm diameter particles. The concentration of cerium and total solids in the effluent were very different for the two polishes studied. The fixed abrasive polish produced 94% less CeO2 emissions per SiO2 removed. The higher ceria levels in the slurry effluent are associated with 99–279 nm particles, and attributed to ceria abrasive. The lower concentration of ceria in the effluent from the fixed abrasive process is due to the lower wear rate of mineral from the fixed abrasive, compared to the more environmentally mobile mineral in the slurry. These results support the “bonded” nature of the abrasive particles in fixed abrasive polishing and are relevant to sustainability strategies that seek to reduce particle emissions in surface conditioning technology.