Pad conditioning process control using laser conditioning

Abstract

A method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad used in a substrate polishing process. In one embodiment, a method for conditioning a polishing pad utilized to polish a substrate is provided. The method includes providing relative motion between an optical device and a polishing pad having a polishing medium disposed thereon, and scanning a processing surface of the polishing pad with a laser beam to condition the processing surface, wherein the laser beam has a wavelength that is substantially transparent to the polishing medium, but is reactive with the material of the polishing pad.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.