A method of using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP)apparatus that includes a apparatus is provided. The method includes providing a conditioning disc for conditioning the polishing pad, where the conditioning disc includes a plurality of portions of subsystem discs. The portions may be regions of the disc that are concentric. Each portion of the disc is operable to rotate at a different angular velocity. In some embodiments, a different applied loading is provided to each of the portions of the disc in addition to or in lieu of the different angular velocities.

A space-saving centerless grinding machine having high operability is obtained by devising the configuration of component units around the basic configuration of the machine. A dressing means for performing a dressing process for a grinding wheel and a regulating wheel comprises a single dressing unit. The dressing unit is located at a lower position between the grinding wheel and the regulating wheel, and thus eliminates the need for right and left dresser spaces for grinding wheels that have most seriously affected the breadthwise dimension of a conventional centerless grinding machine, leading to space saving and a considerable reduction in the breadthwise dimension of the centerless grinding machine.

Methods for breaking-in new polishing pads of a double-side polishing apparatus for polishing substrates such as single crystal silicon wafers are disclosed. The methods may involve contacting the new polishing pads with a conditioning substrate such as a substate that includes diamonds at the surface of the substrate. Conditioning methods may also involve contacting the new polishing pad with sacrificial substrates.

In a method for pre-profiling a grinding tool, a device, in particular a gear grinding machine, for hard fine machining of workpieces and for pre-profiling grinding tools is provided, which includes a workpiece spindle for rotating a workpiece, a grinding spindle, which is feedable at least along an X-grinding-spindle-infeed-axis, for rotating a grinding tool, in particular a grinding worm or a grinding wheel, and a profiling device with a fixed first profiling plate. A grinding tool blank, in particular a grinding worm blank, is provided on the grinding spindle of the device. The device is brought into a profiling configuration. The grinding spindle is fed until the grinding tool blank is operatively connected to the first profiling plate. Finally, the grinding tool blank is pre-profiled.

A liquid feeder includes: a first arm having a first nozzle; a second arm having a second nozzle; a first rotation shaft supporting a proximal end part of the first arm; a second rotation shaft supporting a proximal end part of the second arm; a first rotation driver configured to rotate the first rotation shaft to turn the first arm from a fluid feed position to a retracted position; a second rotation driver configured to rotate the second rotation shaft to turn the second arm from a fluid feed position to a retracted position; and a controller. The first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are disposed coaxially with each other. The controller is capable of controlling the operation of the first rotation driver and the operation of the second rotation driver independently of each other.

A polishing system including a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against the polishing pad, a source of dry ice particles, and a pad conditioner. The pad conditioner includes a compressor to generate a compressed gas stream, a mixer coupled to the source and the compressor to mix the dry ice particles with the compressed gas stream to form a stream of compressed gas with entrained dry ice particles, and a nozzle coupled to the mixer to direct the stream of compressed gas with entrained dry ice particles onto a polishing surface of the polishing pad at sufficient velocity to condition the polishing pad.

A method for manufacturing a structure on a surface of a workpiece (1) is disclosed, the method having the following steps: applying a liquid base layer (2) onto the surface of the workpiece (1); spraying on at least one droplet (3) into the not yet congealed base layer (2), wherein the at least one droplet (3) at least partially, preferably completely, penetrates into the base layer (2); fixing the base layer (2); and at least partially removing the at least one droplet (3).

Further, a second method having the following steps is disclosed: spraying on at least one droplet (3) onto the surface of the workpiece (1); applying a liquid base layer (2) onto the surface of the workpiece (1), wherein the base layer (2) flows around the at least one droplet (3) and preferably at least partially covers the at least one droplet (3); fixing the base layer (2); at least partially removing the at least one droplet (3).

Finally, a device for performing the methods is disclosed.