Patent ID: 6254461
Filing Date: 2001-07-03
Classification: B24B

Abstract:
A process for dressing polishing pads used for polishing smooth surfaces comprising the steps of:providing at least one polishing pad;disposing at least one disk carrier comprising a plurality of openings therein for accepting dressing disks in juxtaposition with said polishing pad;disposing within at least one of said plurality of openings at least one dressing disk within said disk carrier, said dressing disk being free to revolve relative to said disk carrier;further disposing said at least one dressing disk in surface contact with said polishing pad, said at least one dressing disk having a surface comprising a matrix of a binder metal coating on said dressing disk and a concentration of diamond particles within and exposed through said binder metal coating;flooding said polishing pad and said dressing disk with a fluid;applying force to forcibly engage a face of said dressing disk with a face of said polishing pad;driving said disk carrier in a motion to cause said disk carrier to move said dressing disk in an orbit around and in contact with said face of said polishing pad;simultaneously with said foregoing moving step, rotating said dressing disk relative to said polishing pad,whereby said diamonds contained within and exposed through said binder metal coating engage said face of said polishing pad and relative motion therebetween causes a removal of a portion of said polishing pad, removing undesired material and exposing unused cerium particles bound with said polishing pad.