A supplier of chemical mechanical planarization polishing slurries to the semiconductor industry, Cabot Microelectronics Corp. of Aurora, Ill., has agreed to acquire the assets of QED Technologies Inc., along with certain technology and intellectual property. The Rochester, N.Y. company specializes in polishing and metrology systems for high precision optics. The acquisition represents a step in Cabot’s engineered surface finishes growth initiative, through which it plans to apply its expertise to other markets.The purchase price for the assets will be between $19 million and $23.5 million, depending upon the performance of QED in the two years following the closing of the transaction, which was expected to occur in July.