Conditioner for a polishing pad and method therefor
AssigneeWestech Systems, Inc.
InventorsPaul D. Jackson, Stephen C. Schultz, James E. Sanford, Glen Ong, Richard B. Rice, Parag S. Modi, John G. Baca
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Abstract
An axially rotating circular polishing pad is conditioned by a rotating end effector that has an abrasion disc in contact with a polishing surface of the pad. The end effector moves along a radius of the polishing pad surface at a velocity that varies to compensate for locations on the polishing pad surface having linear velocities that are directly related to their respective radii. A desired contact force is maintained between the end effector and the polishing pad surface.
Claims16
An apparatus for conditioning a polishing surface of a pad that is rotatable about a pad axis, comprising:
- end effector means for contacting said polishing surface;
- arm means coupled to said end effector means for moving said end effector means along a radial line passing through said pad axis;
- and
- programming means coupled to said arm means for moving said end effector means across said polishing surface of said pad at a programmable rate to obtain uniform conditioning of said polishing surface of said pad.
A method for conditioning a polishing surface of a pad that is rotatable about a pad axis, comprising the steps of:
- providing end effector means for contacting said polishing surface;
- providing arm means coupled to said end effector means for moving said end effector means along a radial line passing through said pad axis;
- and
- providing programming means coupled to said arm means for moving said end effector means across said polishing surface of said pad at a programmable rate to obtain uniform conditioning of said polishing surface of said pad.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.