InterWest Partners led the round of investment. Other existing investors participated, including BlueRun Ventures, Smart Forest Ventures, Fina Ventures, Intel Capital and Entegris.

NexPlanar (Hillsboro, Ore.) said it uses proprietary ''nano-domain'' technology, ''which improves planarity and across wafer uniformity and can be utilized to customize the pads for specific applications.''

''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,'' said Jim LaCasse, CEO and president of NexPlanar, in a statement. ''Our mandate is to improve the CMP yields by improving the planarity and reducing defects, while at the same time lowering cost of ownership by increasing the pad life and lowering slurry consumption.''