A material removal model for copper abrasive-free chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) has been presented in this paper. This model has been developed based on the assumption of periodic distribution of pad asperities, elastic contact between pad and wafer surface, and corrosive wear theory. This model takes into account the non-Prestonian phenomenon of material removal rate and predicts the material removal rate that closely fits with experimental results. This model can be used to study the effect of pad surface geometry, material property, and operating conditions of abrasive-free CMP processing. © 2005 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.