Patent ID: 7821257

Claim:
A polishing end point forecast/detection method for forecasting/detecting a polishing end point at the moment when a conductive film is polished and a predetermined conductive film is appropriately removed, wherein an inductor in the high frequency inductor type sensor is arranged adjacent to the predetermined conductive film, and at least part of the magnetic flux formed of the inductor in the early polishing stage makes the high frequency inductor type sensor oscillate the frequency that does not penetrate the predetermined conductive film, and there is at least once of the process in which at least the part of the magnetic flux to penetrate the predetermined conductive film increases with the progress of polishing, and the change of the leakage magnetic flux to penetrate the predetermined conductive film during progress of the polishing among magnetic flux formed of the inductor is monitored, and by use of the change of the leakage magnetic flux in which a film thickness in polishing conspicuously appears by the skin effect, a leakage magnetic flux change part to forecast a polishing end point in the leakage magnetic flux change process is detected, and thereby a polishing end point is forecasted by the leakage magnetic flux change part.