Patent ID: 7510463

Claim:
A method by which to extend the operational service life of a circular abrasive conditioning disk for conditioning an active abrasive conditioning surface of a CMP pad, said method comprising the steps of: arranging at least three independently movable abrasive segments on a single circular disk about a common center of rotation, each abrasive segment having an abrasive surface of diamond particles; disposing the at least three independently movable abrasive segments in a storage position spaced from a plane that defines the active abrasive conditioning surface of the CMP pad; and moving one of the at least three independently movable abrasive segments into the plane that defines the active abrasive conditioning surface to start conditioning the surface while keeping the remaining segments disposed in the storage position for use after the one of the at least three independently movable abrasive portions has been worn out subsequent to conditioning the surface of the CMP pad.