# Experimental Study on Double-Sided Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Molybdenum Substrates for LED Devices

**Authors:** Zhihao Zhou, Jiabin Wang, Zhongwei Hu, Pinhui Hsieh, Xipeng Xu

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/mi17020150 · Micromachines · 2026-01-23

## TL;DR

This study improves the polishing process for molybdenum substrates used in LED devices to enhance surface quality and efficiency.

## Contribution

A novel multi-factor optimization approach for double-sided CMP of molybdenum substrates is proposed.

## Key findings

- Optimal CMP parameters achieved an MRR of 80 nm·min−1 and Sa of 1.1 nm.
- Synergistic optimization of factors significantly improves surface quality and processing efficiency.

## Abstract

As LED devices continue to advance toward miniaturization and higher power density, heat dissipation has become a critical factor constraining their reliability and service life. Molybdenum is widely employed as a substrate material in LED devices owing to its high thermal conductivity and low coefficient of thermal expansion. However, substrate applications impose stringent requirements on surface finish, flatness, and low-damage processing. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) can effectively balance global and local flatness and serves as the final step in producing high-quality molybdenum substrate surfaces. To enable efficient and precise processing of molybdenum substrates, this study adopts an orthogonal experimental design for double-sided CMP to systematically investigate the effects of polishing pressure, polishing slurry pH, additives in the polishing slurry, and abrasive particle size on the material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (Sa). An optimal parameter combination was identified via weight-matrix optimization: a polishing pressure of 115 kPa, pH 11, H2O2 (0.5%) and glycine (5 mg/L) as additives, and an abrasive particle size of 0.6 μm. Under these conditions, the MRR reached 80 nm·min−1 and Sa decreased to 1.1 nm, yielding a smooth, mirror-like surface. The results indicate that multi-factor synergistic optimization can substantially enhance both surface quality and processing efficiency in double-sided CMP of molybdenum substrates, providing a process basis for applications in high-power LED devices.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** H2O2 (PubChem CID 784), glycine (PubChem CID 750)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** ACSM3 (acyl-CoA synthetase medium chain family member 3) [NCBI Gene 6296] {aka SA, SAH}
- **Diseases:** pit (MESH:C536528), FA (MESH:C565561), injury to (MESH:D014947)
- **Chemicals:** tungsten (MESH:D014414), SiC (MESH:C022088), oxide (MESH:D010087), polyurethane (MESH:D011140), Mo (MESH:D008982), SiO2 (MESH:D012822), aluminum (MESH:D000535), Si3N4 (MESH:C032734), MoO3 (MESH:C082290), H2O2 (MESH:D006861), silicon (MESH:D012825), CMP (-), BTA (MESH:C012771), Al2O3 (MESH:D000537), MoO2 (MESH:C539565), water (MESH:D014867), CeO2 (MESH:C030583), molybdate (MESH:C044659), Glycine (MESH:D005998), diamond (MESH:D018130), AlN (MESH:C052045)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

7 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12942839/full.md

## References

28 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12942839/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12942839