Cabot Microelectronics Corporation (Cabot Microelectronics) is a supplier of polishing slurries used in the manufacture of integrated circuit (IC) devices within the semiconductor industry, in a process called chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). CMP is a polishing process used by IC device manufacturers to planarize or flatten many of the multiple layers of material that are deposited upon silicon wafers in the production of ICs. It is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of CMP consumables. It develops, produces and sells CMP slurries for polishing conducting and insulating materials used in IC devices, and also for polishing the disk substrates and magnetic heads used in hard disk drives. The Company also develops, manufactures and sells CMP polishing pads, which are used in conjunction with slurries in the CMP process. In February 2009, the Company completed its acquisition of Epoch Material Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Eternal Chemical Co., Ltd.