A method for dressing a polishing pad that enables more even dressing of the polishing pad even when the surface of the rotating plate is curved. This method for dressing a polishing pad performs dressing of the polishing pad by pressing a grindstone of a pad dresser having the grindstone attached thereto against the polishing pad attached to a polishing plate and sliding the grindstone thereon, and uses a pad dresser which is configured to allow a radius of curvature, in the radial direction of the polishing plate, of a dressing surface of the grindstone that slides on the polishing pad to be changed.

A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and a pad cooling assembly. The pad cooling assembly has an arm extending over the platen, a nozzle suspended by the arm and coupled to a source of coolant fluid, the nozzle positioned to spray coolant fluid from the source onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad, and an opening in the arm adjacent the nozzle and a passage extending in the arm from the opening, the opening positioned sufficiently close to the nozzle that a flow of coolant fluid from the nozzle entrains air from the opening.

A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and a pad cooling assembly. The pad cooling assembly has an arm extending over the platen, a nozzle suspended by the arm and coupled to a source of coolant fluid, the nozzle positioned to spray coolant fluid from the source onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad, and an opening in the arm adjacent the nozzle and a passage extending in the arm from the opening, the opening positioned sufficiently close to the nozzle that a flow of coolant fluid from the nozzle entrains air from the opening.