Conditioner and conditioning methods for smooth pads

Abstract

Pad conditioners and methods of conditioning pads for applications such as polishing substrates and chemical mechanical planarization of substrates are provided.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of conditioning a pad for at least one of chemical mechanical planarization and polishing a substrate, the method comprising the step of smoothing the surface of the pad so that the surface finish of the pad after conditioning is smoother than that of the pad before conditioning.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the average roughness of the polishing surface of the pad prior to conditioning is higher than the average roughness of the polishing surface of the pad after conditioning.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of smoothing the surface comprises abrading the surface with abrasive particles less than 50 micrometers in size.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of smoothing the surface comprises abrading the surface with abrasive particles bonded to a carrier and the particles are less than 50 micrometers in size.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of smoothing the surface comprises abrading the surface with abrasive particles bonded to a carrier, the particles are less than 50 micrometers in size, and the particles having an average nearest neighbor spacing less than about 4 times the size of the particles.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of smoothing the surface comprises abrading the surface with abrasive particles, the particles are bonded to a carrier and the particles are less than 50 micrometers in size, the step of smoothing continuing until the surface attains the minimum surface roughness for the particle size.  
     
     
         7 . A method of conditioning a resin impregnated fiber pad comprising the step of conditioning the surface of the pad with abrasive particles bonded to a substantially solid surface wherein the particles have an average nearest neighbor spacing less than about 4 times the average size of the particles and the particles having a size of less than 50 micrometers.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  7  wherein the particles have an average size less than about 30 micrometers.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  7  wherein the particles have an average size less than about 15 micrometers.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  7  wherein the particles have a size in the range of about 1 micrometer to less than 50 micrometers.  
     
     
         11 . A pad conditioner for conditioning the polishing surface of CMP pads, the conditioner comprising a conditioner body, a carrier, and abrasive particles bonded to a carrier, the carrier being coupled to the conditioner body so as to provide a conditioning surface comprising the particles, and the particles having a grit greater than or equal to about 400.  
     
     
         12 . The conditioner of  claim 11  wherein the particles comprise at least one of diamond, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, boron nitride and zirconia.  
     
     
         13 . The conditioner of  claim 11  wherein the particles comprise diamond.  
     
     
         14 . A pad conditioner for at least one of CMP pads and polishing pads, the conditioner comprising abrasive particles bonded to a carrier, the particles having a size less than 50 micrometers and the particles having an average nearest neighbor spacing less than about 4 times the size of the particles.  
     
     
         15 . The pad conditioner of  claim 14  wherein the particles have an average nearest neighbor spacing less than about 3 times the size of the particles.  
     
     
         16 . The pad conditioner of  claim 14  wherein the particles have an average nearest neighbor spacing less than about 2 times the size of the particles.  
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for conditioning a pad for at least one of chemical mechanical planarization and polishing a substrate, the apparatus comprising: 
 a pad conditioner comprising an abrasive surface capable of producing the minimum surface roughness for the pad surface for a size of abrasive particles, the abrasive particles being less than 50 micrometers in size, and    a pad support for supporting the pad, the pad conditioner and pad support being coupled so as to allow the pad conditioner to condition the pad.    
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the pad support comprises a turntable.  
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the pad conditioner comprises abrasive particles between 1 micrometer and 50 micrometers in size.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the pad conditioner comprises abrasive particles less than about 30 micrometers in size.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the pad conditioner comprises abrasive particles less than about 15 micrometers in size.  
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the pad conditioner comprises abrasive particles bonded to a carrier.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein the pad conditioner comprises abrasive particles selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide particles, aluminum oxide particles, and zirconia particles.  
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein the pad conditioner comprises diamond particles bonded to a carrier.  
     
     
         25 . A method of conditioning a pad for at least one of chemical mechanical planarization and polishing a substrate, the method comprising the step of generating a surface on the pad having a surface roughness less than the minimum surface roughness achievable using abrasive particles less than 50 micrometers in size.  
     
     
         26 . A method of conditioning a resin impregnated fiber pad for at least one of chemical mechanical planarization and polishing a substrate comprising the step of abrading the surface of the pad with particles having an average size less than 2 times the average diameter of the fibers.  
     
     
         27 . A method of  claim 26  wherein the particles have an average size less than 1 times the average diameter of the fibers.