Patent ID: 7294040

Claim:
A method for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising: engaging a first surface of the microelectronic substrate with a planarizing pad; moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate or the planarizing pad relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate; disposing a liquid on a second surface of the microelectronic substrate facing generally opposite the first surface to form a liquid bearing; removing at least a portion of the liquid from the second surface of the microelectronic substrate via at least one of a channel or a conduit in a substrate support while disposing the liquid on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the at least one channel or conduit includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and an enclosed section extending between the first and second ends; detecting particle characteristics of the portion of liquid removed from the second surface of the microelectronic substrate; and controlling a thickness of the liquid bearing based on the detected particle characteristics.