US20020016136A1

US20020016136A1 - Conditioner for polishing pads

Info

Publication number: US20020016136A1
Application number: US09/883,073
Authority: US
Inventors: Manoocher Birang; Jayakumar Gurusamy; Gee Hoey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Priority date: 2000-06-16
Filing date: 2001-06-15
Publication date: 2002-02-07

Abstract

An apparatus and method for conditioning a polishing pad in a polishing system. One embodiment of the apparatus generally includes a movable support member, a conditioner device coupled to the support member, and a first actuator coupled to the support member and adapted to move the conditioner device along a first path. Another embodiment of the apparatus generally includes a platen, a polishing pad supported on the platen, and a conditioner device coupled to a support member and positioned adjacent a region of the polishing pad outside of a substrate polishing area. One embodiment of the method includes raising a conditioner device adjacent to the polishing pad, providing relational movement between the conditioner device and the polishing pad, and lowering the conditioner device away from the polishing pad.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 60/212,195, filed Jun. 16, 2000, which is herein incorporated by reference.[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and a method for conditioning a polishing pad in a polishing system.

2. Background of the Related Art

Integrated circuits are typically formed on substrates, particularly silicon wafers, by the sequential deposition of conductive, semi-conductive, or insulative layers. Generally, after a series of layers are sequentially deposited and etched, the uppermost surface may become non-planar and require planarization. A substantially planar surface is necessary to ensure accurate lithography needed to produce small feature sizes.

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is one accepted method of planarization. In CMP, a substrate is typically placed feature-side down on a polishing pad located on a platen. During one conventional polishing process, the polishing pad is rotated by the platen while a carrier rotates the substrate while holding the substrate against the pad by applying pressure to the back of the substrate. The polishing pad can be a removable pad that is attached to the platen for a useful life of the pad and then replaced. One CMP polishing system that utilizes removable pads is a MIRRA® CMP System available from Applied Materials, Inc., as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,804,507, issued Sep. 8, 1998, entitled “Radially Oscillating Carousel Processing System for Chemical Mechanical Polishing,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the pad can be a sheet of polishing material that is incrementally indexed or advanced across a platen as the material wears. This type of system is conventionally known as a “web” system. The web-based system seeks to utilize the continuous feed of polishing pad material by incrementally indexing fresh or new polishing pad material. One CMP web-based polishing system is shown and described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/244,456, entitled “Apparatus and Methods for Chemical Mechanical Polishing With an Advanceable Polishing Sheet,” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Another CMP polishing system that utilizes the web-based system is the 8200C Polishing System available from Obsidian, Inc., as shown and described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/185,812, entitled “Planarization System With Multiple Polishing Pads”, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

In some systems, a substrate is polished on a pad in the presence of a polishing fluid, also known as a slurry, which may contain chemicals that pacify or oxidize the layer being polished and abrasives that abrasively remove or polish off the surface of the layer. The interaction of a polishing pad, the chemically reactive polishing fluid, and the abrasive polishing fluid with the surface of the substrate imparts a combination of chemical and mechanical forces to the substrate which planarizes the substrate surface and results in controlled polishing of the exposed layer.

In a fixed-abrasive system, a polishing pad called a fixed abrasive pad is used which does not require abrasive particles within the slurry. Typically, a polishing fluid without abrasive particles is used in concert with the fixed abrasive pad to provide the chemical component of the polishing process. Examples of such fixed abrasive pads are pads available from the 3M Company of St. Paul, Minn. described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,950, by Rutherford et al. (issued Dec. 2, 1997) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,312, by Haas et al. (issued Sep. 26, 1995), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Generally, the fixed abrasive pad contains abrasive particles suspended in a binder or polymer film that is disposed on a web of backing material that abrade the substrate in the planarization process. Typically, a layer of binder on a surface of the fixed abrasive pad does not contain any abrasive particles. As such, before the fixed abrasive pad can be used, the layer of abrasive-free binder on the surface of the abrasive pad must be removed by a conditioning process before the pad can be effectively used. Moreover, the conditioning process may be necessary to place the pad in a condition that produces consistent and reliable polishing results.

Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for conditioning polishing pads in a substrate processing system and particularly for conditioning fixed abrasive pads.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and objects of the present invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. [0013]
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. [0014]
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a substrate polishing apparatus of the present invention. [0015]
FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a substrate carrier and a platen. [0016]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a conditioner device. [0017]
FIG. 3[0018] a is a top view of the conditioning bar of FIG. 3 attached to a gimbal device.
FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the conditioner device of FIG. 3 in a lower retracted position. [0019]
FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the conditioner device of FIG. 3 in an upper extended position. [0020]
FIG. 6 is an end view of the conditioner device of FIG. 3. [0021]
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of one embodiment of a method of the present invention. [0022]
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a conditioner device.[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 depicts a top plan view of a [0024] CMP system 10 in which embodiments of the invention can be used to advantage or otherwise practiced is disclosed and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/244,456 assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., located in Santa Clara, Calif. which application is incorporated herein by reference. The system 10 generally includes three platens 12 and a loading station 14 disposed on a baseplate 16. A carousel 18 having four arms 20 is centrally disposed on the baseplate 16 whereby each arm 20 supports a substrate carrier 22 and positions each substrate carrier 22 over the loading station 14 or over one of the platens 12. Two of the arms 20 depicted in FIG. 1 are shown in phantom to allow one of the platens 12 and the loading station 14 to be seen. A conditioner device 90, which will be described in more detail below, is disposed adjacent each platen 12.
The [0025] carousel 18 is rotatable to move the substrate carriers 22 from one loading station 14 or platens 12 to another. Generally, the process of polishing a substrate comprises having a substrate loaded into each substrate carrier 22. The substrate carriers 22 move the substrates from the loading station 14 to each platen 12 for processing and back to the loading station 14 to be unloaded. Polishing pads are disposed on the three platens 12. Alternatively, polishing pads are disposed on the first two platens with a cleaning pad disposed on the third platen to facilitate substrate cleaning at the end of the polishing process.
Disposed on the [0026] baseplate 16 adjacent to each platen 12 is a rotatable rinse arm 80 which includes a plurality of nozzles 82 positioned and adapted to deliver a fluid to the horizontal top surface 62 of the platens 12. Two or more supply tubes (not shown) are connected to the nozzles 82 and provide a polishing fluid and/or a cleaning fluid to each nozzle 82. The polishing fluid can comprise chemical polishing agents, de-ionized water, abrasive particles, or a combination thereof to provide the chemical component and mechanical component of the polishing process. Alternatively, the polishing pad can provide the abrasive particles and/or chemical polishing agents. The cleaning fluid typically comprises de-ionized water or other fluids to remove any debris, loose material, or other contamination from the abrasive elements or from the upper surface of the polishing pad.
A [0027] loading robot 24, an input buffer station 28, and an output buffer station 26 are disposed on the baseplate 16 adjacent the loading station 14. The loading robot 24 transfers unpolished substrates from the input buffer station 28 to the loading station 14 and transfers polished substrates from the loading station 14 to the output buffer station 26.
The system can further include a [0028] factory interface 30 which can be formed integrally with the system or can be a separate component disposed adjacent to the baseplate 16 near the loading station 14. The factory interface 30 generally comprises a cleaning module 32, an input module 34, an interface robot 36, and one or more wafer cassettes 38. The interface robot 36 is employed to move substrates between the wafer cassettes 38, the cleaning module 32, and the input module 34. A transfer robot 40 is disposed proximate the factory interface 30 and the baseplate 16 to move substrates from the cleaning module 32 and/or input module 34 to the input buffer station 28 and from the output buffer station 26 back to the cleaning module 32 or alternatively the input module 34.
FIG. 2 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of one of the [0029] platens 12 of the CMP system 10 with a substrate carrier 22 supported thereabove. The platen 12 is mounted on a shaft 50 which is rotationally disposed through the baseplate 16 using conventional bearings and slip rings such that electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, control signals, and other connections can be coupled between the baseplate 16 and the platen 12. The shaft 50 is typically coupled to a motor 52 that provides the rotational motion of the platen 12 during polishing. Alternative embodiments other than a rotatable platen 12 can be used to create relative movement between the substrate and the polishing pad in order to enhance uniform polishing of the substrate surface and uniform wearing of the polishing pad. For example, a substrate carrier can rotate the substrate or move the substrate laterally across the surface of the polishing pad, the polishing pad can move while the substrate carrier positions the substrate on the polishing pad, or a combination of these approaches can be performed.
For the [0030] rotatable platen 12, a supply roll 56 and a take-up roll 58 are disposed on opposite sides of the platen 12 such that a polishing pad 60, such as a fixed abrasive pad manufactured by 3M Company of St. Paul, Minn. or other type of polishing pad, can be wound on the rolls 56, 58 and run between the rolls 56, 58 over the horizontal top surface 62 of the platen 12. An indexing device (not shown) indexes or advances the polishing pad 60 a predetermined amount across the horizontal top surface 62 of the platen 12 intermittently between the processing steps to supply a fresh area of the polishing pad 60 to the horizontal top surface 62. Thus, when the polishing pad 60 is indexed, new polishing pad material is supplied by the supply roll 56 and used polishing material is wound on the take-up roll 58. However, other embodiments of the polishing system can be devised which use a different type of polishing pad, such as a removable pad attached to the platen for the useful life of the pad or a combination of a removable pad and a web-based pad.
The [0031] substrate carrier 22, such as a TITAN HEAD™ substrate carrier manufactured by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, Calif. or other type of substrate carrier, generally comprises of a housing 66 with a retaining ring 68 which defines a center recess 70 to hold a substrate 72 face down on the polishing pad 60 during polishing. The retaining ring 68 is typically disposed around the outer perimeter of the substrate 72 to contain the substrate 72 and prevent the substrate 72 from slipping laterally during polishing. The substrate carrier 22 is mounted on a shaft 76 connected to a drive system 77 disposed on the arm 20 of the carousel 18. The drive system 77 is adapted to rotate the substrate carrier 22, move the substrate carrier 22 laterally, and to move the substrate carrier 22 vertically towards or away from the platen 12 during polishing.
The conditioner device is adapted to contact and to abrade a surface of a polishing pad. The conditioning bar removes film from the surface of the polishing pad to reveal the abrasive particles embedded in the [0032] polishing pad 60 and/or textures the surface of the polishing pad 60 to form a uniform polishing surface. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a conditioner device 90 comprising a conditioning bar 92. The conditioning bar 92 can be a ceramic bar, a brush bar, or a diamond abrasive bar where the part of the conditioning bar 92 that contacts the polishing pad is respectively made of ceramic, brush bristles, or diamond chips connected thereto. In addition, the conditioning bar 92 can be made of any materials that will condition, texture, or abrade the surface of the polishing pad.
The [0033] conditioning bar 92 is attached to a support member 94 by a universal holder 110 which can releasably hold different types of conditioning bars 92 so that the conditioning bar 92 can be quickly replaced or different conditioning bars can be quickly mounted on the support member 94. One embodiment of the universal holder 110 is a fastener connected to the support member 94 with four threaded holes for receiving four screws. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 3a, the conditioner device 90 can further include a gimbal device 112 disposed or connected between the universal holder 110 to the support member 94 which enables the conditioning bar 92 to provide uniform pressure to the surface of the polishing pad.
The [0034] conditioner device 90 can also include a spray bar 122, having a plurality of spray nozzles 124, mounted on the support member 94. The spray nozzles 124 are adapted to provide at least one fluid across the width of the polishing pad to wash away debris and abraded material on the polishing pad. There is no need for the spray bar 122 or nozzles 124 to be in contact with the polishing pad. A hose 125 is connected to the spray bar 122 and adapted to be coupled to a fluid supply source (not shown) to provide fluid to the spray nozzles 124. The fluid can also comprise a hot liquid in order to melt the polymer film that coats the polishing pad. The force and the direction of the spray nozzles 124, the temperature of the fluid, and the type of fluids can be varied in order to enhance removal of debris and the polymer film from the surface of the polishing pad 60.
The [0035] support member 94 is connected to a first actuator 96 which is disposed on a slide 98 connected to a support frame 100. When engaged, the first actuator 96 raises the conditioning bar 92 and the spray bar 122 from a lower retracted position to an upper extended position. A second actuator 106 is mounted on the support frame 100 and is connected to the housing of the first actuator 96 to move the first actuator 96 laterally on the slide 98 and thereby to move the conditioning bar 92 and the spray bar 122 laterally. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the actuators 96, 106 are pneumatic cylinders. The actuators can also be motors, gears, pulleys, pistons, or any other devices that can create movement.
In addition, other conditioning devices can be devised to abrade the surface of the polishing pad other than a conditioning bar. For instance as shown in FIG. 8, the [0036] conditioner device 90 can comprise of spray nozzles 124 adapted to condition the polishing pad only by the action of the sprayed fluids on the polishing pad without the aid of the conditioning bar. In addition, the conditioner device can comprise of a roller (not shown) which conditions the polishing pad by rotating against the surface of the polishing pad. For example, the roller can be a ceramic roller, a brush roller, or a diamond abrasive roller where the part of the roller that contacts the polishing pad is respectively made of ceramic, brush bristles, or diamond chips connected thereto. In addition, a combination of approaches can be devised to abrade the surface of the polishing pad. Furthermore, other movement elements other than an actuator, adapted to move the conditioner device horizontally, can be devised to create relative movement between the conditioner device and the polishing pad. For example, movement can be created by a conditioning roller, a moveable support member attached to the platen, a moveable platen, or by advancement of the polishing pad.
FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the [0037] conditioner device 90 of FIG. 3 disposed in a CMP system where the first actuator is disengaged and the conditioning bar 92 and the spray bar 122 are in a lower retracted position. The support frame 100 of the conditioner device 90 is coupled to the bottom of the baseplate 16 so that the support member 100 extends through an aperture 102 in the baseplate 16 and so that the conditioning bar 92 and the spray bar 122 reside in a storage recess 104 in the baseplate 16. When in a lower, retracted position, the conditioning bar and the spray bar 122 do not obstruct rotational movement of the platen 12 and, therefore, allow polishing of the substrate 72.
FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the [0038] conditioner device 90 of FIG. 3 when the first actuator is engaged and the conditioning bar 92 and the spray bar 122 are in an upper, extended position. The conditioning bar 92 is in contact with the polishing pad 60 on the platen 12 between the supply roll 56 and the horizontal top surface 62 of the platen 12. However, other embodiments of the conditioner device 90 can be devised so that the conditioning bar 92 is adapted to contact any portion of the polishing pad 60. In one embodiment, the conditioning bar 92 contacts and conditions a region of the polishing pad 60 which has not reached the substrate polishing area (the area under which the substrate carrier 22 positions the substrate 72 on the polishing pad 60 during polishing) to condition that region of the polishing pad 60 before its use in polishing the substrate 72.
The [0039] conditioner device 90 can further include a flexible bellows 126 attached to the base of the storage recess 104 in the baseplate 16 and to an upper portion of the support member 94 to protect the conditioner device 90 from fluids delivered by the spray nozzles 124 or by other sources. The platen can further include a backing plate 114 disposed thereon such that when the conditioning bar 92 contacts the polishing pad 60, the polishing pad is sandwiched between the conditioning bar 92 and the backing plate 114 on the platen 12 in order to prevent movement of the polishing pad 60 as the conditioning bar 92 abrades the surface of the polishing pad 60. The polishing system 10 can further include a controller 130 that integrates the conditioning of the polishing pad 60 and the polishing of the substrates. Lines 131, 132, 133, 134 couple the controller 130 respectively to the conditioner device 90, to the platen 12, to the motor 52 of the platen 12, and to the drive system 76 of the substrate carrier 22. In operation, the controller 130 through line 131 signals the first actuator 96 to extend the support member 94 from the storage recess 104 to contact the polishing pad 60 or to retract the support member 94 away from the polishing pad 60, signals the second actuator 106 to extend and to retract in order to create relational movement between the conditioner device 90 and the polishing pad 60, and directs the fluid supply source to provide fluid to the spray nozzles 124. The controller 130 through line 133 signals the motor 52 to rotate the platen 12 in order to create relational movement between the polishing pad 60 and the substrate 72. The controller 130 through line 134 signals the drive system 76 to move the substrate carrier 22 either over or away from the platen 12. The controller 130 through line 132 directs the supply roll 56 and the take-up roll 58 to advance the polishing pad 60 by a certain amount.
FIG. 6 is an end view of the [0040] conditioner device 90 of FIG. 3 when the first actuator is engaged and the conditioning bar 92 and the spray bar 122 are in an upper extended position. In the upper extended position, the conditioner device 90 contacts the polishing pad. The second actuator 106 moves the conditioning bar 92 laterally across the surface of the polishing pad to abrade and condition the polishing pad 60. The length of conditioning bar 92 is determined by the width of the polishing pad is desired to be conditioned. In one embodiment, the conditioning bar 92 spans a width greater than the width of the polishing pad 60 so that the conditioning bar 92 substantially remains in contact with the entire width of the polishing pad 60 as it moves laterally across the surface of the polishing pad 60.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of one method of conditioning a [0041] polishing pad 60. The conditioning bar 92 and the spray bar 122 are raised from the storage recess 104 of the baseplate 16 to contact the polishing pad 60. The conditioning bar 92 is then moved laterally making at least one stroke across the surface of the polishing pad 60 to abrade the surface of the polishing pad 60. The spray nozzles 124 deliver a fluid across the width of the polishing pad 60 that has been abraded or is being abraded by the conditioning bar 92 to rinse away debris and abraded material from the surface of the polishing pad 60. In one embodiment, the spray nozzles 124 deliver a fluid to the polishing pad 60 simultaneously as the conditioning bar 92 is moved laterally across the surface of the polishing pad 60. The conditioning bar 92 and the spray nozzles 124 are then lowered into the baseplate 16 to allow movement of the platen 12. The polishing pad 60 is indexed or advanced by a length that is no greater than the area just conditioned by the conditioning bar 90. The polishing pad need not be advanced to cover the entire area of the substrate polishing area. The substrate polishing area can be continuously replenished with new conditioned pad by indexing or advancing a small portion of the polishing pad intermittently between a desired number of polishing steps. The platen 12 is then rotated to polish the surface of the substrate 72. The steps for the method of conditioning the polishing pad 60 can be performed in other orders. For example, the polishing pad 60 can be indexed before the conditioning bar 92 is moved into contact with the polishing pad 60.
While foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow. [0042]

Claims

1. An apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad outside of a substrate polishing area, comprising:

a movable support member;

a conditioner device coupled to the support member; and

a first actuator coupled to the support member and adapted to move the conditioner device along a first path.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second actuator coupled to the support member and adapted to move the conditioner device along a second path.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conditioner device comprises at least one of a ceramic bar, a brush bar, a diamond abrasive bar, a ceramic roller, a brush roller, a diamond abrasive roller, or a spray bar.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the conditioner device comprises a spray bar and at least one of a ceramic bar, a brush bar, a diamond abrasive bar, a ceramic roller, a brush roller, or a diamond abrasive roller.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the spray bar includes at least one spray nozzle.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one spray nozzle is adapted to be coupled to at least one fluid supply source.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a universal holder releasably mounting the conditioner device on the support member, wherein the conditioner device comprises at least one of a ceramic bar, a brush bar, or a diamond abrasive bar.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a gimbal device disposed between the support member and the conditioner device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a support frame; and

the first actuator is a pneumatic cylinder coupled to the support frame and coupled to the movable support member opposite the conditioner device, wherein the pneumatic cylinder is adapted to move the support member up and down.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a support frame having at least one slide;

the moveable support member is disposed on the at least one slide; and

the first actuator is a pneumatic cylinder disposed on the support frame and adapted to move the support member along the slide.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a support frame having at least one slide;

the first actuator is a first pneumatic cylinder disposed on the at least one slide and coupled to the support member opposite the conditioner device, wherein the first pneumatic cylinder is adapted to move the support member up and down; and

the second actuator is a second pneumatic cylinder disposed on the support frame and coupled to the first pneumatic cylinder, wherein he second pneumatic cylinder is adapted to move the first pneumatic cylinder along the slide.

12. A substrate polishing apparatus, comprising:

a rotatable platen;

a polishing pad supported on the platen; and

a conditioner device coupled to a support member and positioned adjacent a region of the polishing pad outside of a substrate polishing area.

13. The substrate polishing apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a movement device adapted to create relational movement between the conditioner device and the polishing pad, wherein the movement device can move the conditioner device, the polishing pad, or the platen.

14. The substrate polishing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

15. The substrate polishing apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a baseplate supporting the platen and having at least one conditioner recess formed therein, wherein the first actuator is adapted to move the conditioner device between a lower disengaged position in which the conditioner device is housed in the recess and an upper engaged position.

16. The substrate polishing apparatus of claim 15, wherein in the lower disengaged position, the conditioner device is sized and positioned below the base of the platen.

17. The substrate polishing apparatus of claim 15, wherein in the upper engaged position, the conditioner device is positioned to contact a region of the polished pad disposed at the end of the platen between a supply roll and a top roll.

18. The substrate polishing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the movement device is a second actuator coupled to the support member and wherein the second actuator is adapted to move the conditioner device along a second path when the first actuator is in the upper engaged position.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the conditioner device comprises at least a ceramic bar, a brush bar, a diamond abrasive bar, a ceramic roller, a brush roller, a diamond abrasive roller, or a spray bar.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the conditioner device comprises a spray bar and at least one of a ceramic bar, a brush bar, a diamond abrasive bar, a ceramic roller, a brush roller, or a diamond abrasive roller.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the spray bar includes at least one spray nozzle fluidly coupled to at least one fluid supply source.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one fluid supply source comprises a hot fluid supply source.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one fluid supply source is adapted to provide at least one fluid to the at least one spray nozzle at varying pressures.

24. The substrate polishing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a controller coupled to the movement device.

25. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a backing plate disposed on the platen opposite the conditioner device, wherein the polishing pad is positioned between the conditioner device and the backing plate.

26. A method of polishing a substrate on a polishing pad supported on a platen, comprising:

a) raising a conditioner device adjacent to the polishing pad;

b) providing relational movement between the conditioner device and the polishing pad; and

c) lowering the conditioner device away from the polishing pad.

27. A method of polishing a substrate on a polishing pad supported on a platen, comprising:

a) positioning a conditioner device adjacent a surface of the polishing pad outside of a substrate polishing area; and

b) conditioning the surface of the polishing pad.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein conditioning comprises providing relational movement between the polishing pad and a conditioner device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein conditioning further comprises moving the conditioner device laterally across the surface of the polishing pad.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein conditioning comprises abrading the surface of the polishing pad with the conditioner device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein abrading comprises delivering a fluid to the surface of the polishing pad.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein conditioning further comprises delivering a fluid to the surface of the polishing pad.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising moving the conditioner device away from the polishing pad.