Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of interactions between slurry particles and substrates treated by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes were carried out. To conduct adhesion measurements, the particles present in a CMP system were first attached to the surface of a silicon wafer covered with thin polymer film having high affinity for both particles and the silicon wafer. A silica glass sphere was attached to the AFM cantilever with an appropriate spring constant. The sphere represented the surface of the material being polished and was used as received or covered with a layer of copper. The sphere can be modified with various materials in future research. The AFM force volume mode, which uses the collection of the force-distance curves over selected surface areas, was used for the adhesion measurements. The adhesion in the systems studied was strongly dependent on the pH value of the aqueous environment, and the concentration and type of surfactants added. (c) 2007 The Electrochemical Study.