Polishing pad and method for manufacturing the polishing pad

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for manufacturing a polishing pad, including the step of filling the interior of bundles of ultrafine fibers which have an average fineness of from 0.01 to 0.8 dtex with a polymeric elastomer having a glass transition temperature of −10° C. or below, storage moduli at 23° C. and 50° C. of from 90 to 900 MPa, and a water absorption ratio, when saturated with water at 50° C. of from 0.2 to 5 mass %. Also disclosed herein are polishing pads obtained by the method above.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 : A method for manufacturing a polishing pad, the method comprising:
 filling the interior of bundles of ultrafine fibers which have an average fineness of from 0.01 to 0.8 dtex with a polymeric elastomer having a glass transition temperature of −10° C. or below, storage moduli at 23° C. and 50° C. of from 90 to 900 MPa, and a water absorption ratio, when saturated with water at 50° C., of from 0.2 to 5 mass %.   
     
     
         12 : The method for manufacturing a polishing pad according to  claim 11 , wherein the polymeric elastomer is filled into the interior of an ultrafine fiber-entangled body composed of the bundles of the ultrafine fibers such that void areas in the polishing pad have a volume ratio of at least 50%. 
     
     
         13 : The method for manufacturing a polishing pad according to  claim 11 , further comprising:
 obtaining a sheet of entangled webs by stacking and entangling a plurality of filament webs composed of composite fibers containing a water-soluble thermoplastic resin and a water-insoluble thermoplastic resin;   binding fiber bundles by impregnating the entangled web sheet with an aqueous liquid of polymeric elastomer and dry coagulating the elastomer; and   forming ultrafine fibers by dissolving the water-soluble thermoplastic resin in hot water.   
     
     
         14 : A polishing pad, which is obtained by the method according to  claim 11 .