3D-Printed CMP Polishing Pads for Predictable Surface Regeneration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional polishing pads in CMP processes have unpredictable and difficult-to-control surface texture regeneration, leading to inconsistent polishing performance at both microscopic and macroscopic levels.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing to create polishing pads with spatially arranged material domains, allowing for precise control of surface texture regeneration through the selective removal of layers with different material properties, using techniques like shear force, water jets, or radiation energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a pad conditioning disk is used to abrade and rejuvenate the polishing pad surface, then the surface texture is regenerated, but the regenerated texture is fundamentally random and highly unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The polishing pad is divided into multiple printed layers with different material compositions and removal rates. Each layer contains specific material domains (e.g., softer domains with fillers like silica or alumina, and harder domains) that are selectively removed during conditioning to regenerate predictable surface texture patterns
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the polishing pad have different material properties and removal characteristics. The printed layers contain spatially varying material compositions that create localized differences in removal rates, enabling controlled regeneration of specific surface texture features in predetermined locations
2Productivity
If conventional polishing pads are used with random surface texture regeneration, then polishing can be performed, but polishing uniformity is inconsistent at both microscopic and macroscopic levels
Solution Approach 1:
The desired surface texture pattern is pre-designed and embedded in the printed layers before the polishing pad is put into service. The material domains are arranged in specific patterns that will be revealed as surface texture through selective removal during conditioning, ensuring consistent polishing performance from the beginning
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters of different printed layers to achieve different removal rates. By controlling material composition, hardness, and other properties in each layer, the conditioning process produces predictable surface texture patterns that ensure polishing uniformity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables predictable and controlled surface texture regeneration, improving polishing uniformity and extending the life of polishing pads by selectively removing specific layers, thus enhancing both microscopic and macroscopic polishing performance.
Implementation Method 1
a structure includes a plurality of printed layers
Implementation Method 2
using techniques like shear force, water jets, or radiation energy
Implementation Method 3
using techniques like shear force, water jets, or radiation energy
Implementation Method 4
using techniques like shear force, water jets, or radiation energy
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to structures formed using an additive manufacturing process, and more particularly, to polishing pads, and methods for manufacturing polishing pads, which may be used in a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. The structures described herein are formed from a plurality of printed layers. The structure comprises a first material domain having a first material composition and a plurality of second material domains having a second material composition different from the first material composition. The first material domain is configured to have a first rate of removal and the plurality of second material domains are configured to have a different second rate of removal when an equivalent force is applied to a top surface of the first material domain and the plurality of second material domains.