Chemical Mechanical Polishing Pad, and Substrate Processing Apparatus Including the Same

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0043678, filed on Mar. 29, 2024 in the Korean Intellectual Property office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Example embodiments of the disclosure relate to a chemical mechanical polishing pad including grooves, and a substrate processing apparatus including the chemical mechanical polishing pad.

When semiconductor devices are fabricated, a chemical mechanical polishing process using a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus may be used to flatten substrates. In addition, the chemical mechanical polishing process may include a process of polishing a surface of the substrate by using a chemical mechanical interaction between the substrate and the chemical mechanical polishing pad. On the other hand, various patterns of grooves may be formed in the chemical mechanical polishing pad for smooth supply of a slurry abrasive material.

Information disclosed in this Background section has already been known to or derived by the inventors before or during the process of achieving the embodiments of the present application, or is technical information acquired in the process of achieving the embodiments. Therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to the public.

One or more example embodiments provide a chemical mechanical polishing pad having a uniform abrasion ratio while a depth of a groove formed in the chemical mechanical polishing pad is maintained in a chemical mechanical polishing process, and a substrate processing apparatus including the chemical mechanical polishing pad.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to an aspect of an example embodiment, a chemical mechanical polishing pad may include a lower pad body, an upper pad body on an upper surface of the lower pad body and including a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the first protrusion and the second protrusion protruding in a first direction, a groove between the first protrusion and the second protrusion and extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction, at least one dissolution layer in the groove, and at least one protection layer in the groove, where the at least one protection layer and the at least one dissolution layer are configured to be dissolved by an aqueous solution, the at least one dissolution layer is configured to be dissolved by the aqueous solution at a first temperature, and the at least one protection layer is configured to be dissolved by the aqueous solution at a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature.

According to an aspect of an example embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus may include a polishing platen, a chemical mechanical polishing pad on an upper surface of the polishing platen, and a groove depth adjuster above the chemical mechanical polishing pad, where the chemical mechanical polishing pad may include a lower pad body on the upper surface of the polishing platen, an upper pad body on an upper surface of the lower pad body and including a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the first protrusion and the second protrusion protruding in a first direction, a groove between the first protrusion and the second protrusion and extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction, at least one dissolution layer in the groove, and at least one protection layer in the groove, and where the groove depth adjuster may include a groove depth measurement member configured to measure a depth of the groove in the first direction, and a groove protection layer removal member configured to remove the at least one protection layer from the groove.

According to an aspect of an example embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus may include a polishing platen configured to rotate about a rotation axis extending in a first direction, a chemical mechanical polishing pad on an upper surface of the polishing platen, a polishing head facing the chemical mechanical polishing pad in the first direction, a slurry supplier above the chemical mechanical polishing pad and spaced apart from the polishing head in a second direction intersecting the first direction, the slurry supplier configured to discharge polishing slurry toward an upper surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad, a pad conditioner on the chemical mechanical polishing pad and configured to clean the chemical mechanical polishing pad, and a groove depth adjuster above the chemical mechanical polishing pad, where the chemical mechanical polish pad may include a lower pad body on the upper surface of the polishing platen, an upper pad body on an upper surface of the lower pad body and including a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the first protrusion and the second protrusion protruding in a first direction, a groove between the first protrusion and the second protrusion and extending in the second direction, a plurality of dissolution layers in the groove, and a plurality of protection layers respective on upper surfaces of the plurality of dissolution layers, where the groove depth adjuster may include a groove depth measurement member configured to measure a depth of the groove in the first direction, and a groove protection layer removal member configured to remove at least one protection layer of the plurality of protection layers from the groove, and where the plurality of dissolution layers are configured to be dissolved by an aqueous solution at a first temperature and the plurality of protection layers are configured to be dissolved by the aqueous solution at a second temperature higher than the first temperature.

Hereinafter, example embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The embodiments described herein are example embodiments, and thus, the disclosure is not limited thereto and may be realized in various other forms.

As used herein, expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. For example, the expression, “at least one of a, b, and c,” should be understood as including only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b, and c.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “over,” “above,” “on,” “below,” “under,” “beneath,” “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it can be directly over, above, on, below, under, beneath, connected or coupled to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly over,” “directly above,” “directly on,” “directly below,” “directly under,” “directly beneath,” “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present.

is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to one or more embodiments.is a plan view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad of a substrate processing apparatus according to one or more embodiments.is a cross-sectional view of a partial area of a chemical mechanical polishing pad according to one or more embodiments

Referring to, the substrate processing apparatusmay include a polishing platen, the chemical mechanical polishing pad, a polishing head, a slurry supplier, a pad conditioner, and a groove depth adjuster.

The substrate processing apparatusmay be configured to perform a polishing process on a substrate W (for example, a chemical mechanical polishing process). In this case, the substrate W may be referred to as the substrate or a stacked structure including the substrate W and a material layer formed on a surface of the substrate W. In addition, the term “surface of the substrate W” may indicate a surface of the substrate W itself or a surface of a material layer formed on the substrate W.

The polishing platenmay have a plate shape. For example, the polishing platenmay have a circular plate shape. For example, the polishing platenmay include a metal. The polishing platenmay support the chemical mechanical polishing pad. An upper surface of the polishing platen, on which the chemical mechanical polishing padis placed, may include a flat surface. The polishing platenmay have a greater footprint than a footprint of the chemical mechanical polishing pad.

Hereinafter, in the drawings, an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction may represent directions parallel with the upper surface or a lower surface of the polishing platen, and the X-axis direction may be perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. A Z-axis direction may represent a direction perpendicular to the surface of the upper surface or the lower surface of the polishing platen, and may indicate a rotation axis of the polishing platen. In other words, the Z-axis direction may include a direction perpendicular to an X-Y plane. Furthermore, various directions of components may be described with respect to a radial direction, of which may be represented by an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction in cross-sectional views. The radial direction may intersect the Z-axis direction.

In addition, in the drawings below, the first horizontal direction may refer to the X-axis direction, the second horizontal direction may refer to the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction may refer to the Z-axis direction.

The polishing platenmay include a rotation table configured to rotate with respect to a rotation axis in parallel with a vertical direction Z. The polishing platenmay receive rotational power from a motor arranged on a lower base, and accordingly, may rotate in a predefined direction, such as a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, by the rotation axis extending perpendicular to a surface of the polishing platen. The polishing platenmay be connected to a platen drive shaft configured to be rotated by an actuator such as a rotating motor, and may be configured to be rotated by the platen drive shaft.

According to one or more embodiments, the polishing platenmay include one or more fluid channels configured to allow a thermostatic fluid to flow inside the polishing platen. At least a portion of the fluid channel may extend to an area close to the upper surface of the polishing platen. For example, at least a portion of the fluid channel may extend in a direction in parallel with the upper surface of the polishing platen(for example, an X direction and/or a Y direction), to an area close to the upper surface of the polishing platen. The fluid channel may be configured to receive a thermostatic fluid (for example, a cooling fluid or a heating fluid) from a fluid supply device. The fluid supply device may be configured to heat or cool the temperature control fluid to maintain a preset temperature, and supply the thermostatic fluid at the preset temperature to the fluid channel. The fluid supply device may include a fluid source in which the thermostatic fluid is stored, a heating device configured to heat the thermostatic fluid, a cooling device configured to cool the thermostatic fluid, and a pump. For example, the thermostatic fluid may include water, ethylene glycol, silicone oil, liquid Teflon, or a mixture thereof. As the thermostatic fluid flows into the fluid channel of the polishing platen, the temperature of the polishing platenand the temperature of the chemical mechanical polishing padarranged on the polishing platenmay be adjusted. For example, as the heating fluid is supplied to the fluid channel of the polishing platen, the temperature of the polishing platenand the temperature of the chemical mechanical polishing padmay rise to a target temperature. For example, as the cooling fluid is supplied to the fluid channel of the polishing platen, the temperature of the polishing platenand the temperature of the chemical mechanical polishing padmay fall to target temperatures. The temperature control of the polishing platenby using the thermostatic fluid may be performed to provide a temperature condition suitable for the polishing process of the substrate W.

The chemical mechanical polishing padmay be arranged on the upper surface of the polishing platen. The chemical mechanical polishing padmay contact the upper surface of the polishing platen, and at least partially cover the upper surface of the polishing platen.

The chemical mechanical polishing padmay rotate clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to a Z axis according to the rotation of the polishing platen. When the polishing process is performed, the chemical mechanical polishing padmay directly contacting a polishing object, and chemically and/or mechanically polish a surface of the polishing object by using nano polishing particles in a polishing slurry. A polishing surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padmay rub against the polishing object to polish the polishing object. In this case, the polishing object may include, for example, the substrate W, and the polishing surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padmay include, for example, a surface directly contacting the polishing object. According to one or more embodiments, the chemical mechanical polishing padmay have a thickness of hundreds to thousands of micrometers.

The chemical mechanical polishing padmay include a lower pad bodyand an upper pad body, as illustrated in. The lower pad bodymay be arranged on the upper surface of the polishing platen, and the upper pad bodymay be arranged on the upper surface of the lower pad body. The upper pad bodymay function as a polishing layer which rubs against the substrate W during the polishing process on the substrate W, and the lower pad bodymay function as a support layer supporting the upper pad body. According to one or more embodiments, the lower pad bodyand the upper pad bodymay each include a polymer layer including pores. According to one or more embodiments, each of the lower pad bodyand the upper pad bodymay include a polymer, for example, polyurethane. Polyurethane may be obtained, for example, by mixing a curing agent with a polyurethane precursor obtained by a reaction of an isocyanate compound and a polyol compound. The isocyanate compound may include, for example, an aliphatic isocyanate and/or an aromatic isocyanate, diisocyanate, ethylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, bis(isocyanatomethyl)cyclohexane, norbornane diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, naphthalene diisocyanate, phenylene diisocyanate, tolidine diisocyanate, 2,2′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 2,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, xylene diisocyanate, or a combination thereof, but is not limited thereto. The polyol compound may include, for example, polyether polyol, polyester polyol, polycarbonate polyol, polyester polycarbonate polyol, acrylic polyol, or a combination thereof, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, each of the upper pad bodyand the lower pad bodymay include an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABC) resin. The ABS resin may be acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene, or a combination thereof, but is not limited thereto.

The upper pad bodymay include a protrusionprotruding upward in the vertical direction Z from the upper surface of the upper pad body. The upper pad bodymay include a plurality of protrusions. The plurality of protrusionsmay be spaced apart from each other in a radial direction (e.g., an X direction or a Y direction when viewed in cross-section). A space between each of the plurality of protrusionsmay be defined as a groove. In other words, a groovemay be formed between each of the plurality of protrusions. For example, the groovemay be defined as a space between each of the plurality of protrusionsin the radial direction (e.g., an X direction or a Y direction when viewed in cross-section). That is, a groovemay be defined by a space between each pair of protrusionsamong the plurality of protrusions. Although the upper pad bodymay include a plurality of grooves, a single grooveis described below for convenience of explanation.

According to one or more embodiments, the groovemay also be defined as a recess extending down the vertical direction Z from the upper surface of the upper pad body. According to one or more embodiments, the groovemay be formed to have a circular shape in a plan view as illustrated in. The groovemay also be referred to as a pattern of the chemical mechanical polishing pad.

A protection layerand a dissolution layermay be provided in the groove. According to one or more embodiments, a plurality of protection layersand a plurality of dissolution layersmay be provided. A plurality of protection layersand a plurality of dissolution layersmay be alternately stacked in the grooveof the upper pad bodyin the vertical direction Z. For example, the dissolution layermay be formed first in the grooveof the upper pad body, the protection layermay be formed on the upper surface of the dissolution layer, the dissolution layermay be formed again on the upper surface of the protection layer, and the protection layermay be formed again on the upper surface of the dissolution layer. Accordingly, the plurality of protection layersand the plurality of dissolution layersmay be alternately stacked in the grooveof the upper pad body. According to one or more embodiments, when the plurality of protection layersand the plurality of dissolution layersare alternately stacked, the plurality of protection layersmay be stacked on the uppermost end, and the plurality of dissolution layersmay be provided on the lowermost end. That is, within the groove, the top layer may be a protection layer, and the bottom layer may be a dissolution layer. According to one or more embodiments, one dissolution layerand one protection layerof the layers which are alternately stacked, may be defined as one set, and a plurality of setsmay be provided in the grooveof the upper pad body. For example, as illustrated in, three setsmay be provided in the grooveof the upper pad body. However, the number of setsprovided in the grooveof the upper pad bodyis not limited thereto, and one, two, or four or more setsmay be provided in the grooveof the upper pad body.

According to one or more embodiments, a thickness ratio of the protection layerto the dissolution layerin the vertical direction Z may range from about 1:2 to about 1:10. However, the thickness ratio of the protection layerand the dissolution layeris not limited thereto.

In one or more embodiments, one dissolution layerand one protection layermay also be provided inside the grooveof the upper pad body. In other words, only one setmay be provided inside the grooveof the upper pad body. This is described in detail with reference to.

The protection layermay cover the upper surface of the dissolution layer. The protection layermay cover the entire upper surface of the dissolution layer. The protection layermay be configured to seal the dissolution layer. Accordingly, the dissolution layermay be blocked from contacting an external liquid by the protection layer. The upper surface of the dissolution layermay be sealed from the outside by the protection layer, and side surfaces of the dissolution layermay be sealed from the outside by side surfaces of the protrusionof the upper pad body. As the dissolution layeris sealed by the protection layerand the protrusionof the upper pad body, during the manufacturing process, liquid provided to the chemical mechanical polishing padmay not contact the dissolution layer.

According to one or more embodiments, the protection layermay be configured to be removed in an environment of a predefined temperature or higher. For example, the protection layermay be melted by an aqueous solution in an environment of a predefined temperature Tor higher. The aqueous solution may include an aqueous solution provided during the manufacturing process, and may be a slurry or a cleaning solution. In one or more embodiments, the protection layermay be configured to be removed by external stimuli. For example, the protection layermay be removed by a laser or dissolved by a particular aqueous solution to be removed.

According to one or more embodiments, the protection layermay include a material dissolvable in the aqueous solution when the temperature rises. For example, the protection layermay include a 2-oxazoline-based polymer.

The dissolution layermay be configured to be dissolved from the aqueous solution. In one or more embodiments, the dissolution layermay be configured to be dissolved from the aqueous solution regardless of the temperature. When the protection layeris removed, the dissolution layermay be exposed to the aqueous solution, and dissolved by the aqueous solution to be removed.

According to one or more embodiments, the dissolution layermay include at least one of polyacrylic acid, polymaleic anhydride, polymethacrylic acid, polyethylene oxide, polyamino acid, polysaccharide, polyacrylate, polyacrylate, and polyethylene glycol.

The groove depth adjustermay be above the chemical mechanical polishing pad. The groove depth adjustermay move in the horizontal direction (X direction or Y direction) or in a radial direction in a state of being spaced apart from the upper surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padby a predefined interval in the vertical direction Z. The area in the X-Y plane of the groove depth adjustermay be less than the area in the X-Y plane of the chemical mechanical polishing pad.

The groove depth adjustermay include a groove depth measurement member, a groove protection layer removal member, and a controller. According to one or more embodiments, the groove depth measurement membermay be configured to measure a depth D of the grooveof the upper pad body. According to one or more embodiments, the groove depth measurement membermay be configured to measure a distance in the vertical direction Z from an upper surface of a material provided in the upper pad body(for example, a material at the uppermost end of the protection layeror the dissolution layer) to the upper surface of the protrusionof the upper pad body. For example, when the plurality of protection layersand the plurality of dissolution layersare alternately stacked in the grooveof the upper pad body, the groove depth measurement membermay measure the distance in the vertical direction Z from the upper surface of an uppermost layer among the plurality of protection layersand the plurality of dissolution layersto the upper surface of the protrusion. According to one or more embodiments, the depth D of the groovemay be in a range of about 2 cm to about 3 cm. However, the depth D of the grooveis not limited thereto.

In one or more embodiments, the groove depth measurement membermay measure the depth D of the grooveformed in some area of the upper pad body. For example, the groove depth measurement membermay measure the depth D of the grooveat local portions of the upper pad body.

In one or more embodiments, the groove depth measurement membermay measure the depth D of the grooveformed in the entire area of the upper pad body. For example, the groove depth measurement membermay measure the depths D of all the groovesformed in the upper pad body.

is a schematic diagram of a groove depth measurement member according to one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, a groove depth measurement member-may measure the depth D of the grooveby using an optical module, as illustrated in. The groove depth measurement member-may measure a vertical direction Z distance from the groove depth measurement member-to the upper surface of the material provided in the groove, by emitting light ILinto the grooveand using reflection light RLreflected by the upper surface of a material provided in the groove(for example, from the upper surface of the protection layer). In addition, the groove depth measurement member-may measure the vertical direction Z distance from the groove depth measurement member-to the upper surface of the protrusion, by emitting light ILfrom the upper surface of the protrusionand using reflection light RLreflected by the upper surface of the protrusion. Accordingly, the groove depth measurement member-may measure the depth D of the groove.

is a diagram of a groove depth measurement member according to one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, a groove depth measurement member-may measure the depth D of the grooveby using a tip, as illustrated in. The tipmay contract or extend in the vertical direction Z. After the groove depth measurement member-is arranged to face the groovein the vertical direction Z, the tipmay extend downward in the vertical direction Z toward the inside of the groove. In this case, the depth D of the groovemay be measured by using a length of the extended tip.

The groove protection layer removal membermay be configured to remove the protection layer. According to one or more embodiments, the groove protection layer removal membermay induce the protection layerto be dissolved in an aqueous solution by applying heat to the protection layer.

In one or more embodiments, the groove protection layer removal membermay remove the protection layerinside the grooveformed in a partial area of the upper pad body. For example, the groove protection layer removal membermay remove the protection layerinside the groovein local portions of the upper pad body.

In one or more embodiments, the groove protection layer removal membermay remove the protection layerinside the grooveformed in the entire area of the upper pad body. For example, the groove protection layer removal membermay remove the protection layerinside all groovesformed in the upper pad body.

is a diagram of a groove protection layer removal member according to one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, a groove protection layer removal member-may remove the protection layerby emitting a laser beam LB onto the protection layerin the grooveas illustrated in. For example, the groove protection layer removal member-may remove the protection layerby directly using the laser beam LB, or perform a removal process on the protection layerby increasing the temperature of the protection layerby using the laser beam LB and dissolving the protection layerby using an aqueous solution.

is a diagram of a groove protection layer removal member according to one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, a groove protection layer removal member-may perform the removal process on the protection layerby providing heat onto the protection layerinside the groove, as illustrated in, increasing the temperature of the protection layer, and then dissolving the protection layerby using an aqueous solution. For example, the groove protection layer removal member-may provide heat inside the protrusionand the groove. In this case, the temperature of the protection layerinside the groovemay increase to the predefined temperature Tor higher due to the heat provided by the groove protection layer removal member-. The protection layer, in which the temperature thereof has increased to the predefined temperature Tor higher, may be removed as the solubility thereof increases and, in the end, the protection layermay be dissolved by an aqueous solution.

The controllermay be configured to control the groove depth measurement memberand the groove protection layer removal member. For example, the controllermay be configured to control the groove protection layer removal memberbased on the depth D of the groovemeasured by using the groove depth measurement member. For example, when the depth D of the groovemeasured from the groove depth measurement memberis a predefined depth Dor less, the controllermay control the groove protection layer removal memberto remove the protection layerprovided inside the groove.

The controllermay be implemented as hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the controllermay include a computing device, such as a workstation computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and a tablet computer. The controllermay also include a simple controller, a microprocessor, a complex processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), and a graphics processing unit (GPU), a processor including software, dedicated hardware, or firmware. The controllermay be implemented by, for example, application particular hardware, such as a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The controllermay be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium that may be read and executed by one or more processors. In this case, the machine-readable medium may include an arbitrary mechanism for storing and/or transferring information in a form readable by a machine (for example, a computing device). For example, the machine-readable medium may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk storage medium, an optical storage medium, a flash memory device, electrical, optical, acoustical, or other different forms of radio signals (for example, a carrier wave, infrared signals, digital signals, or the like), and other arbitrary signals.

The polishing headmay be above the polishing platen. The polishing headmay be spaced apart from the upper surface of the polishing platenby a predefined interval in the vertical direction Z. The polishing headmay hold the polishing object. For example, the substrate W may be adhered on and/or contacting a bottom surface of the polishing headfacing the chemical mechanical polishing pad. The polishing headmay be configured to be moved horizontally, vertically, radially and/or rotated by a head drive shaft connected to an actuator. For example, the polishing headmay be configured to move linearly in a direction in parallel with the upper surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad(for example, in a radial direction, an X direction and/or a Y direction) or in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad) (for example, in a Z direction). In addition, the polishing headmay rotate clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the Z axis. According to one or more embodiments, a rotation direction of the polishing headmay be the same as or opposite to that of the polishing platen. In addition, the polishing headmay apply an external force acting downward to the substrate W by using the head drive shaft. According to one or more embodiments, a retainer ring surrounding side surface of the substrate W may be arranged on the bottom surface of the polishing head. The retainer ring may support sides of the substrate W so that the substrate W does not separate from the polishing head.

The slurry suppliermay supply the polishing slurry to the upper surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad. The slurry suppliermay include a polishing slurry source storing the polishing slurry therein, a polishing slurry arm, and a polishing slurry supply nozzle connected to one end of the polishing slurry arm. The polishing slurry provided by the polishing slurry source may be provided to the polishing slurry supply nozzle via a flow path, and the polishing slurry supply nozzle may spray the polishing slurry to the upper surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad. The polishing slurry arm may be configured to rotate with a vertical direction (for example, Z direction) as a rotation axis, and may be configured to translate with respect to the rotation axis. The polishing slurry arm may be configured to translate while the polishing slurry is sprayed through the polishing slurry supply nozzle. The polishing slurry provided by the slurry suppliermay be accommodated in the grooveof the upper pad body.

The pad conditionermay perform a pad conditioning process for finely cutting the surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad. In other words, the pad conditionermay maintain a constant surface roughness of the polishing surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padso that the polishing object is effectively polished during the polishing process. For example, the pad conditionermay recover or maintain the surface roughness of the polishing surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padby polishing the polishing surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padin a state when the polishing of the polishing object is in progress or stopped. The pad conditionermay be on the chemical mechanical polishing pad, and may be spaced apart from the upper surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padby a predefined interval in the vertical direction Z. According to one or more embodiments, the pad conditionermay be on the upper portion near the edge of the chemical mechanical polishing pad. The pad conditionermay include a conditioning disk and a conditioning arm. The conditioning disk may include a cutting tip for finely cutting the surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad. The conditioning arm may be connected to the conditioning disk, and may move the conditioning disk. The conditioning arm may be configured to rotate with respect to a vertical direction (for example, Z direction) as a rotation axis, and may be configured to translate with respect to the rotation axis. As the conditioning disk moves along the surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padwhile contacting the chemical mechanical polishing pad, the surface of the chemical mechanical polishing padmay be finely cut.