Description:
Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) is used to achieve sub-nanometre finish on the surface of hard disks. The finsh quality affects disk reliability and can be routinely characterised using optical profilometry. A Taylor Hobson CCI Optical Profiler with 50X objective is used to map pre-programmed areas of each disk. The software determines key surface finish parameters (Sa, Sq) and conducts a pass/fail analysis for each disk (copyright Taylor Hobson).

Industry Sectors:
Data Storage

Techniques:
Optical Profilometry

Keywords:
CMP, quality control