CMP slurries and pads: Feedstocks
How rare earths end up polishing your phone's chips
How rare earths end up polishing your phone's chips What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Slurries are mostly water with a few percent of abrasive and additives; pads are polyurethane. Upstream, ceria comes from rare earths (mostly Chinese), silica from sodium silicate or silicon, and alumina from aluminium refining. Raw material cost is small; particle control and formulation decide value.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| REE Rare earths | a few percent of slurry by weight (indicative) | oxide-selective abrasive | not published | TECHCET (2024); indicative |
| Qz Silica sand | a few percent of slurry (indicative) | abrasive | not published | Indicative |
| Al Aluminium | a few percent of metal slurries (indicative) | hard abrasive | not published | TECHCET (2024); indicative |
| Hydrogen peroxide and other oxidisers | not published | chemical softening of metal films | small | Indicative |
| Oil Crude oil | not applicable | pad material | not published | Indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Not a cost curve market: suppliers compete on defectivity, removal-rate consistency and co-development. Chinese suppliers compete on price in domestic fabs.