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:
Aug. 14, 2001
Filed:
Nov. 19, 1999
Kent R. Becker, Fairfax, VT (US);
Scott R. Cline, Enosburg Falls, VT (US);
Paul A. Manfredi, Waterbury Center, VT (US);
Douglas P. Nadeau, Underhill, VT (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method of conditioning a CMP polishing pad to ensure consistent polishing throughout the polishing process. In particular, the apparatus consists of a translatable wedge-shaped conditioning plate, having a three point adjustable contact to ensure proper alignment with the polishing pad; a high pressure conditioning spray nozzle to clean the polishing pad and conditioning assembly throughout polishing; and a slurry dispensing nozzle to enhance planarization of the wafer. Further, the frequency of oscillation may be varied by the operator to prevent grooves from forming in the polishing pad.