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AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorJason B. Elledge
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for supporting, cleaning and/or drying a polishing pad used for planarizing a microelectronic substrate. In one embodiment, the apparatus can include a cleaning head positioned adjacent a post-operative portion of the polishing pad to clean and/or dry the rear surface of the polishing pad. The cleaning head can include a heat source, a mechanical contact element, and/or orifices that direct fluid and/or gas toward the rear surface. The apparatus can further include a vessel through which the rear surface of the polishing pad passes to clean the rear surface. The apparatus can also include a flow passage in fluid communication with a region between the polishing pad and a support pad upon which the polishing pad rests during planarization. Gas moves through the flow passage toward or away from an interface region between the polishing pad and the support pad to draw the polishing pad toward or away from the support pad.
An apparatus for removing material from a rear surface of an elongated polishing pad, the polishing pad having a planarizing surface opposite the rear surface to planarize a microelectronic substrate, the polishing pad extending across a platen and having a post-operative portion movable relative to the platen, the apparatus comprising a cleaning head positioned proximate to the post-operative portion of the polishing pad and having at least one cleaning device operable to remove material from the rear surface of the post-operative portion of the polishing pad.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.