Hillsboro: NexPlanar Corporation recently completed a $14.5 million round of funding to commercialize the next generation of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pad technology for semiconductor devices.

NexPlanar uses proprietary "nano-domain" technology which improves planarity and can be utilized to customize the pads for specific applications. The application specific CMP pads can be tuned, for example, for sensitive structures on the device by varying the hard and soft domains of the pad. NexPlanar's "nano-lubricants" and patented molded groove technologies allow for low stress CMP (required for the most advanced CMP applications) and allow the use of low slurry consumption processing.

Led by InterWest Partners, the round of investment was participated by other existing investors, including BlueRun Ventures, Smart Forest Ventures, Fina Ventures, Intel Capital and Entegris.

"As device geometries shrink, there must be a paradigm shift in the CMP process. Our proprietary pad technology enables advanced processes while offering significantly improved yields in existing processes," commented Jim LaCasse, CEO and President of NexPlanar.