iTIRM as a tool for qualifying polishing processes.

We report on what we believe to be a novel classification method for polishing processes that we apply in our laboratory on a regular basis. Two parameters are deduced from the in situ iTIRM (intensity-detecting total-internal-reflection microscopy) measurement method. Contrary to Preston's law, which gives the removal rate, the parameters of the iTIRM process are a measure of the change in surface quality (roughness, subsurface damage, and scratch and dig) and the duration of the polishing process.