Measurement Methods of Pad Properties for Chemical Mechanical Polishing

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building blocks for most integrated circuits. Chemical mechanical polishing is used to manufacture silicon wafers as the final material removal process to meet the ever-increasing demand for flatter wafers and lower prices. The polishing pad is one of the critical factors in planarizing wafer surfaces and its properties play critical roles in polishing. However, pad properties change during the process. This paper reviews the measurement methods for thickness, hardness, and Young’s modulus of polishing pads.