A method of conditioning a polishing pad includes conditioning the polishing pad using a conditioner. The method includes detecting a roughness of the polishing pad following the conditioning. The method further includes tracking a number of iterations of the conditioning of the polishing pad. The method further includes outputting a signal for replacing the polishing pad in response to the number of iterations reaching an iteration limit. The method further includes repeating the conditioning in response to the detected roughness of the polishing pad being outside of a threshold roughness range and the number of iterations failing to reach the iteration limit.

A method of conditioning a polishing pad includes conditioning the polishing pad using a conditioner. The method includes detecting a roughness of the polishing pad following the conditioning. The method further includes tracking a number of iterations of the conditioning of the polishing pad. The method further includes outputting a signal for replacing the polishing pad in response to the number of iterations reaching an iteration limit. The method further includes repeating the conditioning in response to the detected roughness of the polishing pad being outside of a threshold roughness range and the number of iterations failing to reach the iteration limit.

Rotating applicators are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes an inlet to receive a surface coating to be applied to a surface of a workpiece, a shaft having a fluid channel extending therethrough, where the fluid channel is in fluid communication with the inlet, and an applicator coupled to an end of the shaft, where the applicator has an opening in fluid communication with the fluid channel. The apparatus also includes a pump to cause the surface coating to flow from the inlet to the opening, and a motor to rotate the shaft while the applicator dispenses the surface coating from the opening.

Rotating applicators are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes an inlet to receive a surface coating to be applied to a surface of a workpiece, a shaft having a fluid channel extending therethrough, where the fluid channel is in fluid communication with the inlet, and an applicator coupled to an end of the shaft, where the applicator has an opening in fluid communication with the fluid channel. The apparatus also includes a pump to cause the surface coating to flow from the inlet to the opening, and a motor to rotate the shaft while the applicator dispenses the surface coating from the opening.

The present disclosure describes a chemical mechanical polishing device and a chemical mechanical polishing method. The chemical mechanical polishing device includes: a cleaning apparatus and a polishing pad conditioner disc positionally configurable relative to the cleaning apparatus, where the cleaning apparatus includes: a cleaning disc; a pre-polishing pad disposed inside the cleaning disc and configured to perform a pre-polishing operation of the polishing pad conditioner disc when positioned in contact with the polishing pad conditioner disc; a pre-polishing grinding liquid dispensing assembly disposed on a side edge of the cleaning disc and configured to supply a pre-polishing grinding liquid to the pre-polishing pad; and a rotation driver configured to drive the pre-polishing pad to rotate during the pre-polishing operation. The present disclosure beneficially reduces wafer scratches and increases evenness of distribution of a grinding liquid during polishing.

A method of processing chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad conditioners includes providing the CMP pad conditioner including conditioner substrate that is a metal, ceramic or a metal-ceramic material with a plurality of hard conditioner particles with a Vickers hardness greater than 3,000 Kg/mm.sup.2 bonded to a top surface of the conditioner substrate, and a slurry including an aqueous medium and a plurality of hard slurry particles having a hardness greater than 3,000 Kg/mm.sup.2. The surface of the pad conditioner is polished in a CMP apparatus using a polishing pad. After the polishing each conditioner particle has at least one exposed facet, and the plurality of hard conditioner particles have a maximum average protrusion-to-protrusion flatness (PPF) difference of 20 microns, and a sharpest edge measured by a value of a cutting edge radius (CER) that lies at an edge of the facet for at least 80% of the facets.

A dressing apparatus 1 includes a regulating body 13 which has a ridge portion 12 with a surface having a shape corresponding to the shape of a grinding surface 6 of a grinding wheel 5, the surface being brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface 6 of the grinding wheel 5 which rotates; a jetting abrasive grain generating device 11 serving as a device for generating a pressure fluid with abrasive grains mixed therein; and a jetting port 15 for jetting abrasive grain-mixed compressed air, the jetting port 15 serving as a jetting device for jetting the mixed compressed air as a pressure fluid with the abrasive grains mixed therein from the jetting abrasive grain generating device 11 into a space between the grinding surface 6 and the surface of the ridge portion 12 of the regulating body 13 which are brought into face-to-face contact with each other.

A dressing apparatus 1 includes a regulating body 13 which has a ridge portion 12 with a surface having a shape corresponding to the shape of a grinding surface 6 of a grinding wheel 5, the surface being brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface 6 of the grinding wheel 5 which rotates; a jetting abrasive grain generating device 11 serving as a device for generating a pressure fluid with abrasive grains mixed therein; and a jetting port 15 for jetting abrasive grain-mixed compressed air, the jetting port 15 serving as a jetting device for jetting the mixed compressed air as a pressure fluid with the abrasive grains mixed therein from the jetting abrasive grain generating device 11 into a space between the grinding surface 6 and the surface of the ridge portion 12 of the regulating body 13 which are brought into face-to-face contact with each other.

The present disclosure describes a chemical mechanical polishing device and a chemical mechanical polishing method. The chemical mechanical polishing device includes: a cleaning apparatus and a polishing pad conditioner disc positionally configurable relative to the cleaning apparatus, where the cleaning apparatus includes: a cleaning disc; a pre-polishing pad disposed inside the cleaning disc and configured to perform a pre-polishing operation of the polishing pad conditioner disc when positioned in contact with the polishing pad conditioner disc; a pre-polishing grinding liquid dispensing assembly disposed on a side edge of the cleaning disc and configured to supply a pre-polishing grinding liquid to the pre-polishing pad; and a rotation driver configured to drive the pre-polishing pad to rotate during the pre-polishing operation. The present disclosure beneficially reduces wafer scratches and increases evenness of distribution of a grinding liquid during polishing.