A sample grinder includes a base having a bowl and a rotating drive plate to operably support a grinding wheel. A head is configured to support a specimen holder and has a first drive for rotational drive of the specimen holder and a second drive for moving the head and specimen holder toward and away from the drive plate. The head has a sleeve that is larger than the specimen holder. A cover is disposed over the bowl and has an opening larger than the sleeve so that the sleeve fits through the opening when the specimen holder is moved toward the rotating drive plate. The grinding wheel is mountable to the plate in a single radial orientation only. A dressing system is operably connected to a controller to monitor the current of the drive plate motor and/or the and the head first drive actuates the dressing system based upon the current drawn by the drive plate motor and/or the head first drive motor falling below a predetermined value.

A processing apparatus includes a chuck table that holds a workpiece by a holding face, a processing unit that processes the workpiece with a grinding whetstone or a polishing pad, a movement unit for moving the chuck table and the processing unit parallel to the holding face, a processing feeding unit for moving the chuck table and the processing unit in a direction orthogonal to the holding face, an inspection unit to inspect a process mark of the workpiece during processing, a dressing unit to dress the grinding whetstone or the polishing pad of the processing unit, and a control unit. When a process mark of a size exceeding a threshold value is detected on the process face of the workpiece, the control unit stops processing of the workpiece, and after the grinding whetstone or the polishing pad is dressed, restarts processing.

A processing apparatus includes a chuck table that holds a workpiece by a holding face, a processing unit that processes the workpiece with a grinding whetstone or a polishing pad, a movement unit for moving the chuck table and the processing unit parallel to the holding face, a processing feeding unit for moving the chuck table and the processing unit in a direction orthogonal to the holding face, an inspection unit to inspect a process mark of the workpiece during processing, a dressing unit to dress the grinding whetstone or the polishing pad of the processing unit, and a control unit. When a process mark of a size exceeding a threshold value is detected on the process face of the workpiece, the control unit stops processing of the workpiece, and after the grinding whetstone or the polishing pad is dressed, restarts processing.

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 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 polishing system includes a platen having a top surface, an annular polishing pad supported on the platen, a carrier head to hold a substrate in contact with the annular polishing pad, a support structure from which the carrier head is suspended and which is configured to move the hold the carrier head laterally across the polishing pad, and a controller. The platen is rotatable about an axis of rotation that passes through approximately the center of the platen, and the inner edge of the annular polishing pad is positioned around the axis of rotation. The controller is configured to cause the support structure to position the carrier head such that a portion of the substrate overhangs the inner edge of the annular polishing pad while the substrate is contacting the polishing pad.

A polishing system includes a platen having a top surface, an annular polishing pad supported on the platen, a carrier head to hold a substrate in contact with the annular polishing pad, a support structure from which the carrier head is suspended and which is configured to move the hold the carrier head laterally across the polishing pad, and a controller. The platen is rotatable about an axis of rotation that passes through approximately the center of the platen, and the inner edge of the annular polishing pad is positioned around the axis of rotation. The controller is configured to cause the support structure to position the carrier head such that a portion of the substrate overhangs the inner edge of the annular polishing pad while the substrate is contacting the polishing pad.

Provided is a self-sharpening polishing device with magnetorheological flexible polishing pad formed by dynamic magnetic field and polishing method thereof. The device includes a polishing disc revolution mechanism and a multi-magnetic-pole synchronous rotary drive mechanism, the polishing disc revolution mechanism including a transmission shaft motor, a transmission shaft, a transfer disc, an eccentric shaft fixing disc, a cup-shaped polishing disc and a transmission shaft transmission mechanism, the multi-magnetic-pole synchronous rotary drive mechanism including an eccentric spindle, a synchronous rotary drive disc, flexible eccentric rotating shafts, eccentric sleeves, magnetic poles, the eccentric shaft fixing disc, and a spindle motor, etc. The device does not need a circulating device to renew magnetorheological fluid and does not need to renew the magnetorheological fluid during the finishing process; in fact the entire process from rough polishing to precise polishing can be done at one time. The device maintains a consistent workpiece surface and delivers a low cost and very efficient polishing process that is eminently suitable for the planes of optical elements with large diameter; it is also suitable for studying the material removal mechanism of planar optical materials and detecting sub-surface damage, as well as other experimental studies.

Provided is a self-sharpening polishing device with magnetorheological flexible polishing pad formed by dynamic magnetic field and polishing method thereof. The device includes a polishing disc revolution mechanism and a multi-magnetic-pole synchronous rotary drive mechanism, the polishing disc revolution mechanism including a transmission shaft motor, a transmission shaft, a transfer disc, an eccentric shaft fixing disc, a cup-shaped polishing disc and a transmission shaft transmission mechanism, the multi-magnetic-pole synchronous rotary drive mechanism including an eccentric spindle, a synchronous rotary drive disc, flexible eccentric rotating shafts, eccentric sleeves, magnetic poles, the eccentric shaft fixing disc, and a spindle motor, etc. The device does not need a circulating device to renew magnetorheological fluid and does not need to renew the magnetorheological fluid during the finishing process; in fact the entire process from rough polishing to precise polishing can be done at one time. The device maintains a consistent workpiece surface and delivers a low cost and very efficient polishing process that is eminently suitable for the planes of optical elements with large diameter; it is also suitable for studying the material removal mechanism of planar optical materials and detecting sub-surface damage, as well as other experimental studies.

The present invention relates to a CMP apparatus having a polishing pad surface property measuring device for measuring surface properties such as surface topography or surface condition of a polishing pad used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. The CMP apparatus includes a polishing pad surface property measuring device (30) configured to apply a laser beam to a surface of a polishing pad (2) and to receive reflected light from the polishing pad to obtain reflection intensity in each reflection angle, a processor (40) configured to perform a Fourier transform on a reflection intensity distribution obtained by the measuring device to obtain a spatial wavelength spectrum of the surface of the polishing pad and to obtain surface properties of the polishing pad by numerical analysis, a dressing control unit (23) configured to determine dressing conditions of the polishing pad (2) by a closed loop control based on the surface properties of the polishing pad obtained by the processor, and a dressing apparatus (20) configured to dress the polishing pad based on the dressing conditions determined by the dressing control unit.