Patent ID: 8118641

Claim:
A method for chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate selected from a magnetic substrate, an optical substrate and a semiconductor substrate, comprising: providing a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus having a platen; providing at least one substrate selected from a magnetic substrate, an optical substrate and a semiconductor substrate; providing at least two polishing operations; providing a plurality of types of chemical mechanical polishing pads having a window, wherein each type of chemical mechanical polishing pad has different polishing properties and an integral identification feature to distinguish each type of chemical mechanical polishing pad from the other types of chemical mechanical polishing pads in the plurality of types, wherein the integral identification feature is non-polish active, wherein the integral identification feature is selected to be observable through the window and to uniquely identify each type of chemical mechanical polishing pad in the plurality of types; providing at least two polishing recipes, wherein each polishing recipe corresponds to one of the at least two polishing operations and wherein each polishing recipe includes an identification of the integral identification feature associated with the type of chemical mechanical polishing pad to be used; selecting a polishing operation to be performed from the at least two polishing operations (“the selected polishing operation”) and a corresponding polishing recipe (“the selected recipe”); installing onto the platen the type of chemical mechanical polishing pad identified in the selected recipe; observing the integral identification feature of the installed chemical mechanical polishing pad and verifying that it corresponds with that identified in the selected recipe; and performing the selected polishing operation on the at least one substrate.