The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 21, 2000
Filed:
Nov. 06, 1997
Ethan C Wilson, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
H Alexander Anderson, Santa Cruz, CA (US);
Gregory Appel, San Francisco, CA (US);
Aplex, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
A linear pad conditioning mechanism provides a linear in situ or ex situ conditioning for a polishing pad mounted on a polishing belt of a CMP apparatus. The linear pad conditioning mechanism includes a linear oscillation mechanism for driving a conditioning pad in a direction orthogonal to the polishing belt's direction of travel. In one example, multiple conditioning assemblies are provided to each provide a trapezoidal conditioning pad, and the conditioning assemblies are positioned such that a constant-width area in the polishing belt's direction of travel is provided. In that example, a rotational mechanism is provided to position the conditioning pad between a conditioning position against the polishing pad, and a cleaning position in a bath of cleaning fluid. Further, each conditioning assembly is provided a fluid delivery system to a conditioner block, so that a conditioner fluid can be delivered at the point of use.