Pad Conditioner Setup

Patent Publication Number: US 20050064792 A1

Title: Pad conditioner setup

Filing Date: September 22, 2003

Priority Date: September 22, 2003

Inventor(s): Michael Berman, Jan Fure

Original Assignee / Applicant(s): Berman Michael J., Jan Fure

Link to Patent: US20050064792A1

Summary:

This invention is related to a chemical mechanical polisher that comprises a rotating disc-shaped polishing pad and a conditioning pad to condition the polishing pad. This invention discloses a method to inspect whether the conditioning pad exerts uniform pre-set force on the polishing pad over the entire area of their contact, during the conditioning process or operation of the polisher. In this method, Pressurex-micro® mat, of Sensor Products, Inc., is placed between the conditioning pad and the polishing pad during the conditioning process in such a manner that during the entire process the Pressurex-micro® mat remains sandwiched between the conditioning pad and the polishing pad. Pressurex-micro® mat is a pressure sensitive material that exhibits varying degrees of color change in response to the varying degrees of pressure applied to it. After the process, the Pressurex-micro® mat can be analyzed for the uniformity or non-uniformity of color distribution through either visual inspection or using an optical scanner. Uniform color distribution indicates uniform pressure distribution.