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: 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.