Polishing processes are widely used in the glass, optical, die and semiconductor industries. Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) especially is becoming one of the most important ULSI processes for the O.25m generation and beyond. CMP is conventionally carried out using abrasive slurry and a polishing pad. But the surface of the pad has irregular pores, so there is non-uniformity of slurry flow and of contact area between wafer and the pad, and glazing occurs on the surface of the pad. This paper introduces the basic concept and fabrication technique of the next generation CMP pad using micro-molding method to obtain uniform protrusions and pores on the pad surface.
