Polishing apparatus
AssigneeEbara Corporation
InventorsKunihiko Sakurai, Hiroshi Yoshida, Tetsuji Togawa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A polishing surface is conditioned by pressing a diamond dresser against the polishing surface to thinly shave a surface of the polishing surface. Foreign matter clogging concavities formed in the polishing surface is scraped by pressing a brush dresser against the polishing surface in a state such that a polishing liquid is not supplied to the polishing table. A liquid composed of a mixture of a liquid or inert gas with pure water or a chemical liquid is ejected onto the polishing surface to clean the polishing surface.
Claims8
A polishing apparatus comprising:
- a polishing table having a polishing surface thereon, said polishing surface having concavities formed therein;
- a top ring for holding a workpiece and pressing the workpiece against said polishing surface to polish the workpiece;
- a first dresser for conditioning said polishing surface, said first dresser being operable to press a first dressing element against said polishing surface to shave off a portion of said polishing surface;
- a second dresser for scraping foreign matter clogging said concavities, said second dresser being operable to press a second dressing element against said polishing surface when a polishing liquid is not supplied to said polishing table;
- and
- an atomizer operable to eject a liquid composed of a mixture of an inert gas with pure water or a chemical liquid onto said polishing surface to clean said polishing surface,
- wherein said second dresser is mounted on said atomizer, and
- wherein said atomizer is operable to clean said second dresser.
A method for dressing a polishing surface of a polishing table, said method comprising:
- conditioning a polishing surface by pressing a first dresser against said polishing surface to shave off a portion of said polishing surface;
- scraping foreign matter clogging concavities formed in said polishing surface by pressing a second dresser, mounted on an atomizer, against said polishing surface when a polishing liquid is not supplied to said polishing surface;
- ejecting a liquid, composed of a mixture of an inert gas with pure water or a chemical liquid, onto said polishing surface from said atomizer to clean said polishing surface;
- and
- cleaning said second dresser by utilizing said atomizer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.