Investigation of the nature of chemomechanical polishing (CMP) for glass requires an in-depth knowledge of the influences of abrasive physical properties and slurry chemistry. In this work , 8 cerium oxide abrasives were used to polish fused silica on a polyurethane pad. Results from pre-polished surfaces re-polished in aqueous and non-aqueous suspensions and from corrosion testing of solutions recovered from abrasive suspensions were used to discern chemical, chemomechanical, and mechanical equivalents for each abrasive. Performance indices (i.e. abrasive quality values) were generated from the equivalents and related to convention polishing of lapped surfaces. Optimally performing abrasives were found to require a balance of equivalents as dictated by inherent chemical activities, heat treatments, and milling.
