ABSTRACT
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Lapping or polishing is one of the technologies that advanced along with the
history of humankind. Recently, with increasing demands for functional
enhancement, ultralapping or polishing has been recognized as a critical
technology for the functional materials of the precision machinery compon-
ents, optical components, and electronic components. For instance, in line with
the rapid progress in miniaturization and high integration in electronic com-
ponents, the dimensional accuracy of the components is shifting from on the
order of micrometers (106 m) to nanometers (109 m). Ultraprecision polishing is a technology that accurately produces geomet-
rically dimensional shapes in the nanometer order. These functional materials
or components should be produced to a completely smooth mirror surface to
work as functional materials. This chapter deals with the ultraprecision
polishing technology to produce a complete smooth surface, or damage-free
surface without any affected layer or strain, which are the basic requirements
for the functional materials. Also mentioned in this chapter are the applica-
tions of the polishing technology to the fabrication of such components.