Polishing materials suitable for polishing hard surfaces, media including the polishing material, and methods of forming and using the polishing materials and media are disclosed. Exemplary polishing materials have a relatively high hard segments:soft segments ratio and exhibit relatively high removal rates and/or relatively high process yields.

The polishing pad is useful in chemical mechanical polishing. The polishing pad includes a polishing portion having a top polishing surface and a polishing material. There is an opening through the polishing pad and a transparent window within the opening. The transparent window is secured to the polishing pad. The window includes a polyurethane composition formed by reacting, in the presence of a hard segment inhibitor for reducing size of hard segment domains, a polymeric polyol, a polyisocyanate and a curing agent. The curing agent includes three or more hydroxyl groups forming hard segments and the polyurethane composition is an amorphous mixture of hard segments in a soft segments matrix and is free of carbon-carbon double bonds.

The polishing pad is useful in chemical mechanical polishing. The polishing pad includes a polishing portion having a top polishing surface and a polishing material. There is an opening through the polishing pad and a transparent window within the opening. The transparent window is secured to the polishing pad. The window includes a polyurethane composition formed by reacting, in the presence of a hard segment inhibitor for reducing size of hard segment domains, a polymeric polyol, a polyisocyanate and a curing agent. The curing agent includes three or more hydroxyl groups forming hard segments and the polyurethane composition is an amorphous mixture of hard segments in a soft segments matrix and is free of carbon-carbon double bonds.

Provided is a polishing pad which is capable of providing a high flatness to a polishing workpiece and suppressing the formation of scratches, and a method therefor. The polishing pad comprises a foamed urethane sheet on the surface which includes closed cells and open cells and which satisfies the following requirements: (1) an open cell ratio is 20-80 vol % where the total volume of closed cells and open cells is taken as 100 vol %, (2) the ratio [tan (wet/dry) ratio] of a loss factor tan in a water-absorption state to that in a dry state is 1.3-1.7, the loss factors being measured according to JIS K7244-4 with an initial load of 20 g at a measuring frequency of 1 Hz at a temperature of 26 C. in a tensile mode over a strain range from 0.01 to 0.1%, and (3) the Shore DO hardness according to ASTM D2240 is 60-80.

The invention provides a porous polyurethane polishing pad that includes a porous matrix having large pores that extend upward from a base surface and open to an upper surface. The large pores extend to the top polishing surface and have lower and upper sections with a vertical orientation. The lower and upper sections are offset in a horizontal direction. Middle-sized pores with a columnar shape and a vertical orientation originate adjacent the middle sections and small pores with a columnar shape and a vertical orientation originate between the middle-sized pores. The pores combine for increasing compressibility of the polishing pad and contact area of the top polishing surface during polishing.

The invention provides a porous polyurethane polishing pad that includes a porous matrix having large pores that extend upward from a base surface and open to an upper surface. The large pores extend to the top polishing surface and have lower and upper sections with a vertical orientation. The lower and upper sections are offset in a horizontal direction. Middle-sized pores with a columnar shape and a vertical orientation originate adjacent the middle sections and small pores with a columnar shape and a vertical orientation originate between the middle-sized pores. The pores combine for increasing compressibility of the polishing pad and contact area of the top polishing surface during polishing.

A subpad for a chemical-mechanical polishing pad, the subpad having porogens with polymeric shells. Methods of fabricating the subpad and polishing pads with a polishing surface layer bonded to the subpad layer are also described.

A subpad for a chemical-mechanical polishing pad, the subpad having porogens with polymeric shells. Methods of fabricating the subpad and polishing pads with a polishing surface layer bonded to the subpad layer are also described.

A chemical mechanical polishing pad comprising a polishing portion, the polishing portion comprising: a polymeric body; a plurality of polymer particles embedded within the body of the polymeric body, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of polymer particles is at least partially exposed at a surface of the polymeric body; and a plurality of pores at the surface of the polymeric body.

A polishing pad for chemical mechanical polishing comprises a polishing layer which comprises a polymer matrix which is the reaction product of an isocyanate terminated oligomer or polymer, with a curative blend comprising two or more polyamine curatives wherein pores are present in the polymer matrix, such pores being formed by expansion of pre-expanded fluid filled polymeric microspheres such expansion occurring during reaction of the isocyanate terminated oligomer or polymer with the two or more curatives, wherein the polishing layer is characterized by one or more of a ratio of shear loss modulus (G) at 104 C. to shear loss modulus (G) at 150 C. of at least 5:1; and a specific gravity of the polishing layer is less than or equal to 95% of a calculated specific gravity for the isocyanate terminated oligomer or polymer, the curative blend and the pre-expanded fluid filled polymeric microspheres.