Patent ID: 7503833

Claim:
A polishing pad useful for polishing at least one of a magnetic, optical and semiconductor substrate in the presence of a polishing medium, the polishing pad comprising: a) a three-dimensional network of interconnected unit cells, the interconnected unit cells being reticulated for allowing fluid flow and removal of polishing debris; b) a plurality of linear polishing elements forming the three-dimensional network of interconnected unit cells, the interconnected unit cells having a height of at least three unit cells, the linear polishing elements having a first end connected to a first adjacent polishing element at a first junction and a second end connected to a second adjacent polishing element at a second junction and having a cross-sectional area between the first and the second junctions; and c) a polishing surface formed from the plurality of linear polishing elements, the polishing surface having a surface area, measured in a plane parallel to the polishing surface, that remains consistent for multiple polishing operations.