Abstract: A method of making a polishing layer for polishing a substrate selected from at least one of a magnetic substrate, an optical substrate and a semiconductor substrate is provided, comprising: providing a liquid prepolymer material; providing a plurality of hollow microspheres; exposing the plurality of hollow microspheres to a carbon dioxide atmosphere for an exposure period to form a plurality of treated hollow microspheres; combining the liquid prepolymer material with the plurality of treated hollow microspheres to form a curable mixture; allowing the curable mixture to undergo a reaction to form a cured material, wherein the reaction is allowed to begin ?24 hours after the formation of the plurality of treated hollow microspheres; and, deriving at least one polishing layer from the cured material; wherein the at least one polishing layer has a polishing surface adapted for polishing the substrate.

Abstract: A method of making a polishing layer for polishing a substrate selected from at least one of a magnetic substrate, an optical substrate and a semiconductor substrate is provided, comprising: providing a liquid prepolymer material; providing a plurality of hollow microspheres; exposing the plurality of hollow microspheres to a carbon dioxide atmosphere for an exposure period to form a plurality of treated hollow microspheres; combining the liquid prepolymer material with the plurality of treated hollow microspheres to form a curable mixture; allowing the curable mixture to undergo a reaction to form a cured material, wherein the reaction is allowed to begin ?24 hours after the formation of the plurality of treated hollow microspheres; and, deriving at least one polishing layer from the cured material; wherein the at least one polishing layer has a polishing surface adapted for polishing the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of polishing a semiconductor device comprising, polishing the semiconductor device with a polishing pad, the polishing pad comprising, a polymeric matrix and a dissolvable substance. The dissolvable substance is located at a work surface of the polishing pad and in a subsurface proximate the work surface. The method further comprises dissolving the dissolvable substance at the work surface while polishing the semiconductor device and wearing away the polishing pad while polishing the semiconductor device such that the subsurface becomes a new work surface that polishes the semiconductor device.

Abstract: A polishing pad used in a method for polishing a semiconductor device is made by combining a polymeric matrix and a dissolvable substance that dissolves upon contact with a polishing slurry.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of polishing a semiconductor device comprising, polishing the semiconductor device with a polishing pad, the polishing pad comprising, a polymeric matrix and a dissolvable substance. The dissolvable substance is located at a work surface of the polishing pad and in a subsurface proximate the work surface. The method further comprises dissolving the dissolvable substance at the work surface while polishing the semiconductor device and wearing away the polishing pad while polishing the semiconductor device such that the subsurface becomes a new work surface that polishes the semiconductor device.

Abstract: A polishing pad used in a method for polishing a semiconductor device is made by combining a polymeric matrix and a dissolvable substance that dissolves upon contact with a polishing slurry.

Abstract: An article or polishing pad for altering a surface of a workpiece includes a polymeric matrix having a work surface and a subsurface proximate to the work surface. When the article is in contact with a working environment, the work surface is made relatively softer than the subsurface as a result of exposure to the working environment. As the work surface wears during use, the subsurface immediately adjacent to the work surface becomes exposed to the working environment and becomes the relatively softer work surface. As a result, the relatively softer work surface is continuously regenerated. In an alternative embodiment, an article for altering a surface of a workpiece includes a work surface having a texture, and the texture includes artifacts arranged in a fractal pattern.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an article of manufacture or polishing pad for altering a surface of a workpiece, such as polishing or planarizing a semiconductor device. The article includes a polymeric matrix impregnated with a plurality of polymeric microelements, each polymeric microelement having a void space therein. The article has a work surface and a subsurface proximate to the work surface. When the article is in contact with a working environment, polymeric microelements at the work surface of the article are less rigid than polymeric elements embedded in the subsurface. As the work surface of the article is abraded during use, the work surface of the pad may be continuously regenerated. In alternative preferred embodiments, the work surface may further include a minitexture and/or a macrotexture. Preferably, the minitexture is formed by fractal patterning at least a portion of the work surface.

Abstract: A personal computer based, multimedia, data processing system includes a software solution to the problem of synchronizing two or more data streams which output data to two or more multimedia output devices. One stream is a master and each other stream is a slave. The master stream generates sync pulses that can be handled in two different synchronization methods, master-slave independent synchronization or master-driven slave synchronization. Sync pulses are generated with a predetermined granularity, and synchronization is achieved when a slave stream is out of tolerance. Adaptive resynchronization may be used to speed up or slow down a slave stream.

Abstract: A channel for a data processing system is provided with a time of day clock that is synchronized with the time of day clock of the associated central processor. Both the central processor and the channel processor record times of particular events, and the channel uses these times to calculate two times called Function Pending and Function Active. Both times begin when the central processor executes an instruction to begin an I/O operation. Function Pending ends when the channel has made successful initial selection. This time shows delays by the channel processor in scheduling the channel control unit, and device resources for I/O operations. Function Active ends at Channel End. A new instruction, Set Channel Monitor, enables or disables these measurements. An information block for each subchannel defines one of several measurement modes for a subchannel or disables the subchannel from measurement.