Abstract: A polishing apparatus polishes a surface of a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table. The polishing apparatus is configured to control a temperature of the polishing surface of the polishing pad by blowing a gas on the polishing pad during polishing. The polishing apparatus includes a pad temperature control mechanism having at least one gas ejection nozzle for ejecting a gas toward the polishing pad and configured to blow the gas onto the polishing pad to control a temperature of the polishing pad, and an atomizer having at least one nozzle for ejecting a liquid or a mixed fluid of a gas and a liquid and configured to blow the liquid or the mixed fluid onto the polishing pad to remove foreign matters on the polishing pad. The pad temperature control mechanism and the atomizer are formed into an integral unit.

Abstract: A polishing method and a polishing apparatus which can increase a polishing rate and can control a polishing profile of a substrate being polished by adjusting a surface temperature of a polishing pad are disclosed. The polishing method for polishing a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table includes a pad temperature adjustment step of adjusting a surface temperature of the polishing pad, and a polishing step of polishing the substrate by pressing the substrate against the polishing pad having the adjusted surface temperature. In the pad temperature adjustment step, the surface temperature of a part of an area of the polishing pad, the area being to be brought in contact with the substrate, is adjusted during the polishing step so that the rate of temperature change of a temperature profile in a radial direction of the surface of the polishing pad becomes constant in the radial direction of the polishing pad.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus polishes a surface of a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table. The polishing apparatus is configured to control a temperature of the polishing surface of the polishing pad by blowing a gas on the polishing pad during polishing. The polishing apparatus includes a pad temperature control mechanism having at least one gas ejection nozzle for ejecting a gas toward the polishing pad and configured to blow the gas onto the polishing pad to control a temperature of the polishing pad, and an atomizer having at least one nozzle for ejecting a liquid or a mixed fluid of a gas and a liquid and configured to blow the liquid or the mixed fluid onto the polishing pad to remove foreign matters on the polishing pad. The pad temperature control mechanism and the atomizer are formed into an integral unit.

Abstract: A polishing method and a polishing apparatus which can increase a polishing rate and can control a polishing profile of a substrate being polished by adjusting a surface temperature of a polishing pad are disclosed. The polishing method for polishing a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table includes a pad temperature adjustment step of adjusting a surface temperature of the polishing pad, and a polishing step of polishing the substrate by pressing the substrate against the polishing pad having the adjusted surface temperature. In the pad temperature adjustment step, the surface temperature of a part of an area of the polishing pad, the area being to be brought in contact with the substrate, is adjusted during the polishing step so that the rate of temperature change of a temperature profile in a radial direction of the surface of the polishing pad becomes constant in the radial direction of the polishing pad.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a CMP apparatus having a polishing pad surface property measuring device for measuring surface properties such as surface topography or surface condition of a polishing pad used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: A polishing method and a polishing apparatus which can increase a polishing rate and can control a polishing profile of a substrate being polished by adjusting a surface temperature of a polishing pad are disclosed. The polishing method for polishing a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table includes a pad temperature adjustment step of adjusting a surface temperature of the polishing pad, and a polishing step of polishing the substrate by pressing the substrate against the polishing pad having the adjusted surface temperature. In the pad temperature adjustment step, the surface temperature of a part of an area of the polishing pad, the area being to be brought in contact with the substrate, is adjusted during the polishing step so that the rate of temperature change of a temperature profile in a radial direction of the surface of the polishing pad becomes constant in the radial direction of the polishing pad.

Abstract: A polishing method and a polishing apparatus which can increase a polishing rate and can control a polishing profile of a substrate being polished by adjusting a surface temperature of a polishing pad are disclosed. The polishing method for polishing a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table includes a pad temperature adjustment step of adjusting a surface temperature of the polishing pad, and a polishing step of polishing the substrate by pressing the substrate against the polishing pad having the adjusted surface temperature. In the pad temperature adjustment step, the surface temperature of a part of an area of the polishing pad, the area being to be brought in contact with the substrate, is adjusted during the polishing step so that the rate of temperature change of a temperature profile in a radial direction of the surface of the polishing pad becomes constant in the radial direction of the polishing pad.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus which can maintain a surface temperature of a polishing pad at a desired target temperature. The apparatus for regulating a surface temperature of a polishing pad, includes: a pad contact member which is contactable with a surface of the polishing pad and which has a heating flow passage and a cooling flow passage formed therein; a heating-liquid supply pipe coupled to the heating flow passage; a cooling-liquid supply pipe coupled to the cooling flow passage; a first flow control valve attached to the heating-liquid supply pipe; a second flow control valve attached to the cooling-liquid supply pipe; a pad-temperature measuring device configured to measure a surface temperature of the polishing pad; and a valve controller configured to operate the first flow control valve and the second flow control valve based on the surface temperature of the polishing pad.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus having a polishing pad surface property measuring device that is capable of measuring surface properties of a polishing pad in a state where a liquid film exists on the polishing pad is disclosed.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus polishes a surface of a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table. The polishing apparatus is configured to control a temperature of the polishing surface of the polishing pad by blowing a gas on the polishing pad during polishing. The polishing apparatus includes a pad temperature control mechanism having at least one gas ejection nozzle for ejecting a gas toward the polishing pad and configured to blow the gas onto the polishing pad to control a temperature of the polishing pad, and an atomizer having at least one nozzle for ejecting a liquid or a mixed fluid of a gas and a liquid and configured to blow the liquid or the mixed fluid onto the polishing pad to remove foreign matters on the polishing pad. The pad temperature control mechanism and the atomizer are formed into an integral unit.

Abstract: There is disclosed a measuring method of a surface roughness of a polishing pad which can measure a surface roughness index of the polishing pad showing a strong relationship with polishing performance. A method for measuring a surface roughness of a polishing pad includes acquiring an image of a surface of a polishing pad by using a laser microscope, selecting only a region which has a height larger than an average height from the acquired image, and calculating a surface roughness from only the selected region.

Abstract: A polishing pad surface property measuring method which can measure surface properties of a polishing pad that reflect CMP performance by applying a laser beam to the polishing pad at a plurality of incident angles is disclosed. The method includes applying a laser beam to a surface of the polishing pad, and receiving light reflected by the surface of the polishing pad and performing Fourier transform on the received light to determine surface properties of the polishing pad. The laser beam is applied to the polishing pad at a plurality of incident angles.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus polishes a surface of a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table. The polishing apparatus includes a polishing liquid supply nozzle for supplying a polishing liquid onto the polishing pad, a polishing liquid storage mechanism disposed on the polishing pad for storing the polishing liquid on the polishing pad by damming the polishing liquid, and a polishing liquid sensor for measuring a physical quantity representing the freshness of the polishing liquid stored by the polishing liquid storage mechanism. The polishing apparatus further includes a freshness measuring instrument for calculating the freshness of the stored polishing liquid from the physical quantity measured by the polishing liquid sensor, and a freshness controller for controlling supply conditions of the polishing liquid or storage state of the polishing liquid, based on the freshness of the polishing liquid that is determined by the freshness measuring instrument.

Abstract: A method for judging polishing performance of a polishing liquid, which can judge freshness of a slurry by measuring a component concentration or a physical quantity corresponding to the component concentration of the slurry after polishing and by evaluating an accelerator component and an inhibitor component of the slurry is disclosed. The polishing performance judging method of a polishing liquid judges polishing performance of a polishing liquid containing an accelerator for promoting dissolution of an object to be polished and an inhibitor for inhibiting dissolution of the object to be polished. The method includes analyzing a polishing waste liquid by spectroscopy, selecting a plurality of wavelengths from wavelengths which can distinguish the accelerator, the inhibitor, and a complex compound of the accelerator and a metal to be polished, and measuring absorbance at the selected plurality of wavelengths to thereby judge the polishing performance of the polishing liquid.

Abstract: The method includes the steps of measuring a surface height of a polishing member 10 at each of plural oscillation sections Z1 to Z5 which are defined in advance on the polishing member 10 along an oscillation direction of a dresser 5; calculating a difference between a current profile obtained from measured values of the surface height and a target profile of the polishing member 10; and correcting moving speeds of the dresser 5 in the plural oscillation sections Z1 to Z5 so as to eliminate the difference.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus having a polishing pad surface property measuring device that is capable of measuring surface properties of a polishing pad in a state where a liquid film exists on the polishing pad is disclosed.

Abstract: The method includes: calculating an increment of a sliding distance of a dresser by multiplying a relative speed between the dresser and a polishing member by a contact time between them; correcting the increment of the sliding distance by multiplying the calculated increment of the sliding distance by at least one correction coefficient; calculating the sliding distance by repeatedly adding the corrected increment of the sliding distance to the sliding distance according to elapse of time; and producing the sliding-distance distribution of the dresser from the obtained sliding distance and a position of a sliding-distance calculation point. The at least one correction coefficient includes an unevenness correction coefficient provided for the sliding-distance calculation point.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus polishes a surface of a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table. The polishing apparatus is configured to control a temperature of the polishing surface of the polishing pad by blowing a gas on the polishing pad during polishing. The polishing apparatus includes a pad temperature control mechanism having at least one gas ejection nozzle for ejecting a gas toward the polishing pad and configured to blow the gas onto the polishing pad to control a temperature of the polishing pad, and an atomizer having at least one nozzle for ejecting a liquid or a mixed fluid of a gas and a liquid and configured to blow the liquid or the mixed fluid onto the polishing pad to remove foreign matters on the polishing pad. The pad temperature control mechanism and the atomizer are formed into an integral unit.

Abstract: A polishing method for reducing an amount of polishing liquid used without lowering a polishing rate is provided. The polishing method comprises determining, in advance, the relationship between a supply flow rate of a polishing liquid and a polishing rate at the time the substrate is polished without controlling a surface temperature of the polishing pad, and the relationship between a supply flow rate of a polishing liquid and a polishing rate at the time the substrate is polished while controlling a surface temperature of the polishing pad at a predetermined level, and continuously supplying the polishing liquid to the surface of the polishing pad to achieve a higher polishing rate when the substrate is polished while controlling the surface temperature of the polishing pad at the predetermined level, than when the substrate is polished without controlling the surface temperature of the polishing pad.

Abstract: A polishing method and a polishing apparatus which can increase a polishing rate and can control a polishing profile of a substrate being polished by adjusting a surface temperature of a polishing pad are disclosed. The polishing method for polishing a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table includes a pad temperature adjustment step of adjusting a surface temperature of the polishing pad, and a polishing step of polishing the substrate by pressing the substrate against the polishing pad having the adjusted surface temperature. In the pad temperature adjustment step, the surface temperature of a part of an area of the polishing pad, the area being to be brought in contact with the substrate, is adjusted during the polishing step so that the rate of temperature change of a temperature profile in a radial direction of the surface of the polishing pad becomes constant in the radial direction of the polishing pad.