Method of altering and preserving the surface properties of a polishing pad and specific applications therefor

摘要

The present invention is directed, in general, to an improved material and method of planarizing a surface on a semiconductor wafer and, more specifically, to a method of altering the properties of polymers, preferably thermoplastic foam polymers, used in polishing applications. The chemical and mechanical properties thermoplastic foam substrates can be transformed by inorganic, inorganic-organic, and or organic-organic grafting techniques, such that the polymer foam is endowed with new set of properties that more desirable and suitable for polishing.