Lam Research Corporation

Tac Huynh

Andrew J Nagengast

Glenn W Travis

Michael Labunsky

Anthony Meyer

A method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad is described. The method includes steps of moving a cylindrical roller having an abrasive substance affixed to it against a moving polishing pad. The roller may be passively rotated by contact with the polishing pad, or actively reciprocated, while maintaining a pressure against the polishing pad. The apparatus includes a cylindrical roller attached to one or more pressure application devices mechanically connected to the roller.

Method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad used in chemical mechanical planarization

Method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad used in chemical

A device and method for determining the center and orientation of a circular workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer. A laser diode projects a sheet of light onto a linear array of charge coupled devices which measures light intensity as a semiconductor wafer is rotated with its outer periphery intersected by the sheet of light. From a plot of light intensity data versus position at the wafer edge, a derivative of such plot can be calculated to locate an orientation notch or flat in the edge of the wafer. Also, from the plot of light intensity versus edge position it is possible to locate the center of the wafer relative to a rotation axis of a spindle on which the wafer is supported.

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Hayward, CA, United States of America

Tac Huynh