Patent ID: 6769967
Filing Date: 2004-08-03
Classification: B24B

Abstract:
A machine ror planarizing a microelectronic-device substrate assemly, comprising:a platen mounted to a support structure; a fixed abrasive polishing pad positioned on the platen; a movable substrate assembly carrier to which the substrate assembly is mounted, the substrate assembly carrier being positionable over the polishing pad and adapted to engage the substrate assembly with the planarizing surface of the polishing pad, wherein at feast one of the platen and the substrate assembly carrier moves with respect to the other to impart relative motion between the substrate assembly and the polishing pad; a carriage assembly positioned proximate to the polishing pad, the carriage assembly having an ann positionable over the planarizing surface; a non-abrasive refurbishing element attached to the ann, the non-abrasive refurbishing clement being a plurality of resilient bristles that are sufficiently stiff to dislodge the residual matter from the planarizing surface of the polishing pad under a desired downforce so that the refurbishing element can remove the interacted material from the polishing pad without abrading the planarizing surface as at least one of the refurbishing element and the polishing pad moves with respect to the other; a liquid solution dispenser fixedly positioned on the arm and further positionable proximate to the planarizing surface of the polishing pad, the solution dispenser being connected to a supply of conditioning solution that interacts with residual matter on the planarizing surface, the residual matter being from at least one of the substrate assembly, the liquid solution and the polishing pad to form an interacted material on the planarizing surface; and an actuator including a motor operatively attached to the actuator and structured to rotate the actuator and the arm, and a second actuator structured to move the element relative to the dispenser and along the arm to bias the non-abrasive refurbishing element against the planarizing surface of the polishing pad at the desired down force.