Polishing pad and polishing method

Abstract

A polishing pad including a disc-shaped base to be mounted to a tip end of a rotatable spindle and a pad portion fixed to one end surface of the base has at least a polishing surface of the pad portion coated with a resin film until before the polishing pad is mounted to the spindle. A polishing method for polishing a wafer with a polishing pad includes a polishing pad mounting step of mounting the polishing pad to the tip end of the spindle, a separating step of separating the resin film from the pad portion, a holding step of holding the wafer on a holding surface of a chuck table, and a polishing step of polishing the wafer by individually rotating the polishing pad and the chuck table while the pad portion and the wafer are brought into contact with each other.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A polishing pad comprising:
 a disc-shaped base to be mounted to a tip end of a rotatable spindle; and   a pad portion fixed to one end surface of the base,   wherein at least a polishing surface of the pad portion is coated with a resin film until before the polishing pad is mounted to the spindle.   
     
     
         2 . The polishing pad according to  claim 1 , wherein the resin film is formed of water-soluble resin. 
     
     
         3 . The polishing pad according to  claim 1 , wherein the resin film is formed of a thermoplastic resin sheet. 
     
     
         4 . A polishing method for polishing a workpiece with a polishing pad, the polishing pad including a disc-shaped base to be mounted to a tip end of a rotatable spindle and a pad portion fixed to one end surface of the base, at least a polishing surface of the pad portion being coated with a resin film until before the polishing pad is mounted to the spindle, the polishing method comprising:
 a polishing pad mounting step of mounting the polishing pad to the tip end of the spindle;   a separating step of separating the resin film from the pad portion;   a holding step of holding the workpiece on a holding surface of a chuck table; and   a polishing step of polishing the workpiece by individually rotating the polishing pad and the chuck table while the pad portion and the workpiece are brought into contact with each other.   
     
     
         5 . The polishing method according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the resin film is formed of water-soluble resin, and,   in the separating step, water is jetted toward the resin film formed of the water-soluble resin to dissolve the resin film, thereby separating the resin film from the pad portion.   
     
     
         6 . The polishing method according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the resin film is formed of a thermoplastic resin sheet, and,   in the separating step, the resin film formed of the thermoplastic resin sheet is peeled off from the pad portion, thereby separating the resin film from the pad portion.