Abstract: A single-layer polishing pad is grooved in a pattern having relatively large turn radius bends (i.e., greater than the 90° bends of conventional rectangular grid grooving) to improve stability. The large radius bends allow slurry to be more easily and uniformly distributed across the surface of the polishing pad than conventional rectangular grooving. This improvement in slurry distribution tends to improve RR uniformity and WIWNU. In one embodiment, the polishing pad is grooved in a hexagonal pattern, which produces a grooving pattern with 120° bends. The grooves do not penetrate all of the way through the upper layer, thereby maintaining the “stiffness” of the polishing pad, which tends to improve planarization. When used in conjunction with standard pad conditioning techniques, polishing pads with groove patterns having large radius bends has yielded startling and unexpected improvement in stability.