Patent ID: 7918712

Claim:
A method of polishing a wafer, said method comprising: providing a polishing pad assembly for polishing a wafer surface and collecting and transmitting data relating to the condition of the wafer surface, said polishing pad assembly comprising: a polishing pad; means for directing light at the wafer surface, said means disposed within the polishing pad; and means for detecting light reflected from the wafer surface and creating an electrical signal corresponding to the light reflected, said means for detecting light disposed within the polishing pad; providing means for processing the electrical signal corresponding to the light reflected and producing a corresponding processed signal; providing a transmitter for transmitting the processed signal; polishing the wafer, including rotating the pad, and transmitting the processed signal from the polishing pad, during rotation of the pad, to a receiver which is stationary relative to the rotating pad; wherein the transmitter is provided in the form of a radio frequency transmitter.