A carrier head for a polishing system includes a housing, a flexible membrane, a first plurality of pressure supply lines, a second plurality of pressure supply lines, and a valve assembly. The flexible membrane defines a multiplicity of independently pressurizable chambers. The valve assembly has a multiplicity of valves with each respective valve of the multiplicity of valves coupled to a respective pressure chamber from the multiplicity of independently pressurizable chambers. Each respective valve is configured to selectively couple the respective pressure chamber to one pressure supply line from a pair of pressure supply lines that include a pressure supply line from the first plurality of pressure supply lines and a pressure supply line from the second plurality of pressure supply lines.

Chemical mechanical polishing can be used for “touch-up polishing” in which polishing is performed on a limited area of the front surface of the substrate. The contact area between the polishing pad and the substrate can be substantially smaller than the radius surface of the substrate. During polishing, the polishing pad can undergo an orbital motion. The polishing pad can be maintained in a fixed angular orientation during the orbital motion. The contact area can be arc-shaped. The contact area can be provided by one or more lower portions projecting downward from an upper portion of the polishing pad. A perimeter portion of the polishing pad can be vertically fixed to an annular member and a remainder of the polishing pad within the perimeter portion can be vertically free.

A polishing method capable of accurately determining a polishing end point of a substrate is disclosed. The method comprises: rotating a polishing table supporting a polishing pad; and polishing the substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad by a polishing head, wherein polishing the substrate includes: an oscillation polishing process of polishing the substrate while causing the polishing head to oscillate along the polishing surface; and a static polishing process of polishing the substrate with the oscillation of the polishing head stopped, the static polishing process is performed after the oscillation polishing process, and the static polishing process comprises determining a static polishing end point which is a point in time at which a rate of change of torque for rotating the polishing table has reached a change-rate threshold value.

Embodiments herein relate to chemically impregnated applicators which may be used to provide hydrophobic surfaces on CMP system components and related application methods. In one embodiment, a method of forming a hydrophobic coating on a surface of a polishing system component includes cleaning the surface of the polishing system component to remove a polishing fluid residue therefrom and applying a hydrophobicity causing chemical solution to the surface of the polishing system component.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a stage for holding a wafer, a catalyst processing member for processing the surface of the wafer using a catalyst, a pressing mechanism for pressing the catalyst processing member against the wafer, a relative motion mechanism for causing the catalyst processing member and the wafer to make a relative movement, and a supply mechanism for supplying a process liquid to the surface the wafer. The catalyst processing member has a processing surface opposed to the wafer, and includes a base material on which a groove is formed on the processing surface and the catalyst. The processing surface of the base material includes a plurality of regions sectioned by the groove. The catalyst processing member holds different types of catalysts in the plurality of regions.

The invention relates to a device (100) for the grinding and/or polishing of planar surfaces, comprising a grinding and/or polishing tool (20), a frame (40), a workpiece (32) or a holder (30) for at least one workpiece, and a means (10) for moving the frame and the workpiece holder (30) with the workpiece, characterized in that the device (100) is set up in such a way that a loose bearing is formed between the workpiece (32) or the workpiece holder (30) and the frame (40), and the means (10) for moving the frame (40) and the workpiece (32) or the workpiece holder (30, 30′) with the at least one workpiece (32) is configured in such a way that the workpiece (32) or the workpiece holder (30) with the at least one workpiece (32) is guided in a plane which is predetermined by the surfaces of the at least one workpiece (32) resting on the grinding and/or polishing tool (20).

The invention also relates to a method for the polishing of planar optics by using the device (100).

A CMP tool for polishing a semiconductor wafer is disclosed. The CMP tool includes a polishing head with a wafer carrier unit on which a wafer is mounted for polishing. The wafer carrier unit includes a support plate with a seal disposed on its sidewall. The seal improves sealing of the flexible membrane to the support plate. This improves reliability by avoiding slippage during the dechucking stage as well as wafer slippage during wafer loading stage, thereby avoiding wafer damage as well as non-uniform polishing.

A carrier head for a polishing system includes a housing, a flexible membrane, a first plurality of pressure supply lines, a second plurality of pressure supply lines, and a valve assembly. The flexible membrane defines a multiplicity of independently pressurizable chambers. The valve assembly has a multiplicity of valves with each respective valve of the multiplicity of valves coupled to a respective pressure chamber from the multiplicity of independently pressurizable chambers. Each respective valve is configured to selectively couple the respective pressure chamber to one pressure supply line from a pair of pressure supply lines that include a pressure supply line from the first plurality of pressure supply lines and a pressure supply line from the second plurality of pressure supply lines.

Provided is a manufacturing method for a thin phosphor glass plate by which a thin phosphor glass plate can be more certainly produced. A manufacturing method includes the steps of: preparing a phosphor glass base material 21 having a first principal surface 21a and a second principal surface 21b opposed to each other; placing the phosphor glass base material 21 on a stage 22 and fixing the second principal surface 21b onto the stage 22; and polishing the first principal surface 21a of the phosphor glass base material 21 with a polishing member 23 including an abrasive layer 24.

A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface, a source of coolant, a dispenser having one or more apertures suspended over the platen to direct coolant from the source of coolant onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad; and a controller coupled to the source of coolant and configured to cause the source of coolant to deliver the coolant through the nozzles onto the polishing surface during a selected step of a polishing operation.