Polishing pad, polishing apparatus and method for polishing wafer

Abstract

A polishing apparatus includes a belt-type surface plate stretched between two rollers each having a rotation shaft arranged in parallel to that of the other roller, a plurality of sheet-type polishing pads stuck on the surface plate, and a dresser for activating the polishing pads. Part of an upper end portion of each of the polishing pads facing an adjacent one of the polishing pads has an obtuse angle. Thus, the dresser is not caught by the upper end portion of each of the polishing pads, so that the generation of a scratch in the polishing pads. Therefore, a semiconductor wafer can be polished without causing a scratch thereon.

1 - 14 . (canceled)  
     
     
         15 . A polishing pad which is set under a wafer unit in chemical mechanical polishing and includes an upper surface serving as a polishing surface, 
 wherein a through hole of which a peripheral portion has an upper end having a tapered shape or a curved section is further provided.    
     
     
         16 - 22 . (canceled)  
     
     
         23 . A polishing apparatus which includes a surface plate, a plurality of polishing pads stuck on the surface plate so as to be spaced apart from one another and each having an upper surface serving as a polishing surface, a carrier for holding a wafer in polishing and a dresser for activating an upper surface of each of the plurality of polishing pads, and is for use in chemical mechanical polishing of the wafer, 
 wherein a space between adjacent ones of the plurality of polishing pads is filled with an adhesive agent.    
     
     
         24 . A polishing apparatus which includes a surface plate, a plurality of polishing pads stuck on the surface plate so as to be spaced apart from one another and each having an upper surface serving as a polishing surface, a carrier for holding a wafer in polishing and a dresser for activating an upper surface of each of the plurality of polishing pads, and is for use in chemical mechanical polishing of the wafer, 
 wherein in each said polishing pad, a through hole of which a peripheral portion has an upper end having a tapered shape or a curved section is further provided.    
     
     
         25 - 28 . (canceled)  
     
     
         29 . A method for polishing a wafer using a polishing apparatus which includes a surface plate and a plurality of polishing pads stuck on the surface plate and each having an upper surface serving as a polishing surface, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) activating the upper surface of each said polishing pad by a dresser; and    b) polishing the wafer by pressing the wafer against the upper surface of each said polishing pad while scanning the surface plate,    wherein a space between adjacent ones of the plurality of polishing pads used in the steps a) and b) is filled with an adhesive agent.    
     
     
         30 . A method for polishing a wafer using a polishing apparatus which includes a surface plate and a plurality of polishing pads stuck on the surface plate and each having an upper surface serving as a polishing surface, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) activating the upper surface of each said polishing pad by a dresser; and    b) polishing the wafer by pressing the wafer against the upper surface of each said polishing pad while scanning the surface plate,    wherein in each of the plurality of polishing pads used in the steps a) and b), a through hole of which a peripheral portion has an upper end having a tapered shape or a curved section is further provided.