Noritake develops water-based polishing pad for SiC wafers

Noritake has developed ‘LumiDia’, a new diamond abrasive-embedded polishing pad designed for the manufacturing of silicon carbide (SiC) wafers. Utilizing proprietary technology that combines organic and inorganic materials, the pad features an internal structure that allows diamond abrasives to act efficiently.

A key advantage of LumiDia is its ability to perform high-performance polishing using only water, eliminating the need for diamond slurry. This capability reduces industrial waste and addresses the challenge of diamond abrasive procurement by minimizing the amount of material required.

The technology specifically enables effective edge polishing on the curved surfaces of SiC wafers, a task traditionally difficult with standard diamond slurries. By reducing surface roughness on these edges, the pad helps prevent chipping, cracking, and foreign matter adhesion, which improves yields as the industry moves toward 8-inch SiC wafers. Beyond SiC wafers, the product is also applicable to the planar polishing of ceramic substrates.