Chemical Mechanical Polishing, or CMP, has quickly become an indispensable technique for fabricating integrated circuits. During the CMP process, a wafer surface is polished for planarization using a slurry and a polishing pad. The abrasive particles in the slurry grind against the sample surface, loosening material. The chemicals in the slurry then etch and dissolve the material. This process is designed to remove areas of elevated topography more quickly than the lower areas. Although mechanical grinding alone can achieve a reasonable degree of planarization, chemical etching is necessary to remove the extensive damage from mechanical grinding. Although chemical etching results in a damage-free sample, the process is typically isotropic and does not remove topographical features.