Rodel Holdings, Inc.

Rodel Inc.

Charles William Jenkins

Lee Melbourne Cook

David B James

John V H Roberts

Raj Raghav Pillai

Heinz F Reinhardt

John V Roberts

Polishing pads are provided having a polishing surface formed from a material. The polishing surface has a topography produced by a thermoforming process. The topography consists of large and small features that facilitate the flow of polishing fluid and facilitate smoothing and planarizing.

Polishing pads and methods relating thereto

A polishing pad having a uniform, continuously interconnected porous surface. The pad is produced by pressure sintering powder compacts of thermoplastic polymer at a temperature above the glass transition temperature but not exceeding the melting point of the polymer. The sintering process is conducted at a pressure in excess of 100 psi and in a mold having the desired final pad dimensions. In a preferred version, a mixture of two polymer powders is used, where one polymer has a lower melting point than the other.

Polishing pads are provided having a polishing surface formed from a hydrophilic material. The polishing surface has a topography produced by a thermoforming process. The topography consists of large and small features that facilitate the flow of polishing fluid and facilitate smoothing and planarizing.

A polishing pad having a substantially uniform, continuously interconnected porous surface. The pad can be produced by pressure sintering powder compacts of thermoplastic polymer at a temperature above the glass transition temperature but not exceeding the melting point of the polymer. The sintering process is conducted in a mold at a pressure in excess of 100 psi (0.07 MPa). In a preferred version, a mixture of two polymer powders is used, where one polymer has a lower melting point than the other.

Method of making polishing pads

Polymer-based pads useful for polishing objects, particularly integrated circuits, having interconnected porosity which is uniform in all directions, and where the solid portion of said pad consists of a uniform continuously interconnected polymer material of greater than 50% of the gross volume of the article, are produced directly to final shape and dimension by pressure sintering powder compacts of thermoplastic polymer at a temperature above the glass transition temperature but not exceeding the melting point of the polymer and at a pressure in excess of 100 psi in a mold having the desired final pad dimensions. In a preferred version, a mixture of two polymer powders is used, where one polymer has a lower melting point than the other. When pressure sintered at a temperature not to exceed the melting point of the lower melting powder, the increased stiffness afforded by incorporation of the higher melting polymer component gives improved mechanical strength to the sintered product. Conditions for producing the pads of this invention are such that the polymer powder particles from which the pads are produced essentially retain their original shape and are point bonded to form the pad.

Methods for using polishing pads

An improved polishing pad is provided comprising a solid uniform polymer sheet having no intrinsic ability to absorb or transport slurry particles having during use a surface texture or pattern which has both large and small flow channels present simultaneously which permit the transport of slurry across the surface of the polishing pad, where said channels are not part of the material structure but are mechanically produced upon the pad surface. In a preferred version of the invention, the pad texture consists of a macrotexture produced prior to use and a microtexture which is produced by abrasion by a multiplicity of small abrasive points at a regular selected interval during the use of the pad.

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Newark, DE, United States of America

Charles William Jenkins