Patent ID: 6652764
Filing Date: 2003-11-25
Classification: B24B,H01L

Abstract:
A method of planarizing a microelectronic device substrate assembly, comprising:providing a planarizing pad having a base section having a planarizing surface of a first material, a plurality of embedded sections of a second material in the first material, and a plurality of voids in the first material above the embedded sections, the voids extending below the planarizing surface, and the second material being selectively removable from the first material by a selected solution; pressing the microelectronic device substrate assembly against the planarizing surface in the presence of a planarizing solution on the planarizing pad and in the voids; moving at least one of the planarizing pad and/or the microelectronic device substrate assembly relative to one another; and conditioning the planarizing pad between planarizing cycles by removing an incremental layer of the pad body to form a surface in which the base section has an upper surface and the embedded sections have top surfaces generally co-planar with the upper surface of the base section; and selectively etching an additional incremental portion of the second material in the embedded sections faster than the upper surface of the base section to reform voids in the base section over the embedded sections.