Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Young-Wang Lo

Chung-Yang Lin

Yu-Sheng Shen

Chung-I Cheng

An apparatus and a method for retaining moisture on a polishing pad in chemical mechanical polishing during machine idling, i.e. during machine maintenance or repair are described. The apparatus is constructed of a circular disc in a clam-shell configuration having two halves for easy mounting or dismounting from a polishing pad. The circular disc may further include a protruded top portion to accommodate a polishing head when the chemical mechanical polishing apparatus is in a stand-by mode. The circular disc should have a diameter sufficiently large to cover an entire surface area of a polishing pad, while a peripheral edge of the circular disc overlaps a periphery of the polishing pad. The apparatus further includes a moisture retention means mounted on an inner surface of the circular disc for providing a moisturizing environment to the surface of the polishing pad. The moisture retention means can be suitably provided in brushes formed of moisture retaining bristles or in a cellulosic material layer. The apparatus may further include a fastening means for fastening the two clam-shell halves together which includes a hook-and-loop means, an adhesive means or a mechanical quick connect/disconnect means. The circular disc is preferably fabricated of a substantially transparent material, such as a transparent plastic, so that the condition of the polishing pad can be readily observed.

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Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

Young-Wang Lo