TW202325554A - Additive manufacturing systems and methods of fabricating polishing pads using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Data indicative of a desired shape of the polishing pad to be fabricated by droplet ejection by the additive manufacturing system is received. The data includes a desired shape defining a desired profile including a polishing surface having one or more partitions separated by one or more grooves on the polishing pad. Data indicative of distortions from the desired profile caused by dispensing of layers by droplet ejection by the additive manufacturing system is generated. Data indicative of an initial layer to dispense by droplet ejection is generated to at least partially compensate for the distortions from the desired profile. The initial layer is dispensed on a support by droplet ejection. Overlying layers are dispensed on the initial layer by droplet ejection by the additive manufacturing system to form the polishing pad.

Description

Additive manufacturing system and method of manufacturing polishing pad using same

This specification is about additive manufacturing, and in particular additive manufacturing of chemical mechanical polishing pads.

Integrated circuits are typically formed on a substrate by sequentially depositing conductive, semiconductive or insulating layers on a silicon wafer. Various fabrication processes require planarization of layers on a substrate. For some applications (eg, polishing the metal layer to form vias, plugs, and lines in the trenches of the patterned layer), the cover layer is planarized until the top surface of the patterned layer is exposed. In other applications (eg, planarization of dielectric layers for lithography), the capping layer is polished until the desired thickness remains above the underlying layer.

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a well-established planarization method. Such planarization methods typically require the substrate to be mounted on a carrier head. The exposed surface of the substrate is typically placed against a rotating polishing pad. The carrier head provides a controlled load on the substrate to push it against the polishing pad. A polishing fluid, such as a slurry with abrasive particles, is typically supplied to the surface of the polishing pad.

One goal of a chemical mechanical polishing process is polishing uniformity. If different areas on the substrate are polished at different rates, some areas of the substrate may have too much material removed ("overpolished") or too little material removed ("underpolished"). In addition to planarization, polishing pads can be used for conditioning operations such as buffing.

Polishing pads are usually made by molding, casting or sintering polyurethane materials. In the case of molding, the polishing pads can be made one at a time, such as by injection molding. In the case of casting, a liquid precursor is cast and solidified into a block, which is subsequently cut into individual pads. These shims can then be machined to their final thickness. Grooves can be machined into the polished surface, or can be formed as part of an injection molding process.

This disclosure describes manufacturing polishing pads with an additive manufacturing system.

In one aspect, a method of manufacturing a polishing pad using an additive manufacturing system includes receiving data indicative of a desired shape of a polishing pad manufactured by droplet ejection by the additive manufacturing system. The data includes a desired shape defining a desired profile including a polishing surface having one or more partitions separated by one or more grooves on the polishing pad. Data is generated indicative of a distortion of a desired profile caused by the additive manufacturing system dispensing layers by drop ejection. Data indicative of the initial layer dispensed by the droplet ejection is generated to at least partially compensate for distortion from the desired profile. The initial layer is dispensed on the support by droplet ejection. The coating layer is dispensed on the initial layer by droplet jetting by an additive manufacturing system to form a polishing pad.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features.

The polishing pad can include an initial layer. The polishing pad can include a support. The polishing pad is removable from the support. Distortions may include regions that are expected to be thinner relative to the desired profile. The initial layer may include, eg, consist of voxels corresponding to the region. A region may correspond to an edge of one or more partitions.

The initial layer may correspond to edges of the partition, and assigning a plurality of covering layers may cover at least a portion of the initial layer and fill an area between the edges. The step of dispensing an initial layer may comprise dispensing a first material of a first composition, and the step of dispensing a plurality of cover layers comprises dispensing a second material of a different second composition. The initial layer may be the bottom layer of the partition.

In another aspect, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium encoded with instructions to cause one or more processors to: receive instructions for polishing to be produced by droplet ejection by an additive manufacturing system data of a desired shape of the pad, the desired shape defining a desired profile comprising a polishing surface having one or more partitions separated by one or more grooves in the polishing pad; generating indications by an additive manufacturing system via droplet dispensing data of a desired profile resulting from dispensing a plurality of layers by jetting; generating data indicative of an initial layer dispensed by droplet jetting to at least partially compensate for distortion from the desired profile; enabling an additive manufacturing system to be distorted by droplet jetting Distributing the initial layer on the support; and causing the additive manufacturing system to distribute a plurality of covering layers on the initial layer by the droplet spraying of the additive manufacturing system to form a polishing pad.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features.

The instructions to generate data indicative of distortion may include instructions to identify regions that are expected to be thinner relative to an expected profile. The instructions to generate data indicative of the initial layer may include instructions to assign voxels corresponding to the region to the initial layer.

In another aspect, an additive manufacturing system includes a support, a dispenser configured to deliver a plurality of layers of feed material onto the support by droplet ejection, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive data indicative of a desired shape of an object fabricated by droplet ejection, the desired shape defining a desired profile comprising a surface having one or more raised portions separated by one or more recesses generating data indicative of the distortion of the desired profile caused by dispensing the plurality of layers by droplet ejection of the additive manufacturing system; generating data indicative of the initial layer dispensed by the dispenser by droplet ejection to at least partially compensate Distortion from the desired profile; causing the dispenser to dispense the initial layer on the support by droplet ejection; and causing the dispenser to dispense a plurality of covering layers on the initial layer by droplet ejection of an additive manufacturing system to form an object .

Implementations may include one or more of the following features.

The controller may be configured to generate data indicative of distortion by identifying regions that are expected to be thinner relative to an expected profile. The controller may be configured to generate data indicative of the initial layer by assigning voxels corresponding to the region to the initial layer.

The dispenser may include a first nozzle configured to deliver a first material having a first composition and a second nozzle configured to deliver a second material having a second, different composition. The controller may be configured such that the dispenser delivers the first material to form the initial layer and the second material to form the plurality of cover layers. The dispenser may include a plurality of nozzles configured to move laterally over the support.

In another aspect, a method of manufacturing an object using an additive manufacturing system includes the step of receiving data indicative of a desired shape of an object manufactured by the additive manufacturing system by droplet ejection, the desired shape defining a desired profile, the desired profile comprising A surface having one or more protrusions separated by one or more recesses; generating data indicative of a distortion of a desired profile caused by an additive manufacturing system dispensing a plurality of layers by droplet ejection; generating data indicative of a distortion by droplet ejection Distributed initial layer data to at least partially compensate for distortion from the desired profile; Distribute the initial layer on the support by droplet jetting; and Distribute a plurality of cover layers by droplet jetting at the initial layers to form objects.

In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a polishing pad using an additive manufacturing system includes depositing successive layers by droplet jetting to form the polishing pad. The polishing pad includes a polishing surface having one or more partitions separated by one or more grooves. The step of depositing one layer of the continuous layer includes allocating, by a first droplet ejection process, a first area corresponding to an edge of the one or more partitions. After curing the first region, a second region corresponding to the interior of the one or more partitions is distributed between the edges by a second, different droplet ejection process.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The first drop ejection process may include a first polymer and the second drop ejection process may include a second polymer having a different composition. The first drop ejection process may include a first curing radiation and the second drop ejection process may include a second curing radiation that cures the layer more slowly than the first curing radiation. The first curing radiation and the second curing radiation may be at different wavelengths. The first curing radiation may have a higher intensity than the second curing radiation. It is not necessary to eject liquid droplets into the areas corresponding to the grooves.

In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a polishing pad using an additive manufacturing system includes depositing a first set of successive layers onto a support by droplet jetting. Depositing the first set of successive layers includes dispensing a polishing pad precursor to a first region corresponding to the partitions of the polishing pad, and dispensing a sacrificial material to a second region corresponding to the grooves of the polishing pad. A second set of continuous layers is deposited over the first set of continuous layers by droplet ejection. The second set of consecutive layers corresponds to the lower portion of the polishing pad. The first set of successive layers and the second set of successive layers provide the body. The body is removed from the support. Removing the sacrificial material from the body provides a polishing pad with a polishing surface having partitions separated by grooves.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The step of depositing a second set of successive layers may include dispensing a polishing pad precursor. The second set of continuous layers may correspond to the lower portion of the polishing layer. A third set of continuous layers can be deposited over the second set of continuous layers by droplet spraying. The third set of continuous layers may have a different composition than the second set of continuous layers. The second set of consecutive layers may correspond to subpads of the polishing layer. The second set of continuous layers may span both the first region and the second region.

The foregoing advantages may include (but are not limited to) the following. The geometry of the polishing pad can be more precisely controlled, thereby improving the polishing efficiency of the polishing pad. In addition, correcting the profile can compensate for potential distortions by adjusting the data that additive manufacturing equipment uses to form an article (eg, a polishing pad) rather than removing material after the article is initially formed. The amount of post-processing of the product after it is formed by the build-up manufacturing equipment can be reduced. As a result, the amount of wasted feed can be reduced, and output and throughput can be increased. The need for secondary processing steps can be eliminated. When the surface is removed and the groove depth is reduced, the variation in the slurry capture volume of the polishing pad can be reduced, thereby improving wafer-to-wafer uniformity. Capture material can also be removed by a selective etch process to leave only the desired material, which may be advantageous in the case of optically transparent materials used to form the CMP windows and fixed abrasive roll format pad designs.

Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other potential features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

Additive manufacturing equipment can be used to form the polishing pad. Additive manufacturing equipment may be provided with an initial pattern to dispense incoming feed material. The initial pattern corresponds to the desired shape of the polishing pad to be formed. Unfortunately, when the polishing pad is formed by additive manufacturing equipment using an initial pattern, the actual shape of the polishing pad may include distortions relative to the desired shape of the polishing pad. However, several techniques can be used to compensate for this distortion.

The initial pattern provided to the additive manufacturing device can be modified by the correction profile to produce a modified pattern to at least partially compensate for these distortions. The resulting shape formed using the modified pattern can thus more closely match the desired shape of the polishing pad. Modifying the pattern may include the initial layer upon which additional layers are deposited.

The portion of the polishing pad corresponding to the edge of the divider may be deposited by a different technique than the center of the divider, eg, to provide improved verticality of the sidewalls.

Sacrificial material can be deposited, and layers of pads can be deposited between and over the sacrificial layers. This sacrificial material can then be removed to provide grooves, surface texture to reduce break-in time, and the polishing pad to be manufactured in a roll-to-roll fashion.

Turning now to FIG. 1 , a polishing system 100 includes a polishing pad 102 operable to polish one or more substrates 104 . The polishing system 100 can include a rotatable platen 106 on which the polishing pad 102 is placed. During a polishing step, a polishing liquid 108 (eg, polishing slurry) may be supplied to the polishing surface 103 of the polishing pad 102 via a slurry supply port or a combined slurry/rinse arm 110 . The polishing liquid 108 may contain polishing particles, pH adjusters, or chemically active components.

The substrate 104 is held against the polishing pad 102 by the carrier head 112 . The carrier head 112 is suspended from a support structure, such as a carousel, and is connected by a carrier drive shaft 114 to a carrier head rotation motor such that the carrier head is rotatable about an axis 116 . The relative movement of polishing pad 102 and substrate 104 in the presence of polishing liquid 108 results in polishing of substrate 104 .

Referring to FIG. 2, in some examples, the polishing pad 102 may be formed using an additive manufacturing apparatus 120 that dispenses successive layers of feed materials. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the build-up fabrication apparatus 120 is operated to form at least the polishing layer 122 of the polishing pad 102 . During the fabrication process, thin layers of feed material are gradually dispensed and solidified. For example, droplets 124 of a feed material (eg, polishing pad precursor material) may be ejected from nozzles 126 of a dispenser 128 (eg, a drop jet printer) to form a layer 130 of the feed material. Dispenser 128 is similar to an inkjet printer, but uses feed material to form polishing pad 102 instead of ink.

The controller 129 is operable to control the dispensing operation of the dispenser 128 and, if applicable, the curing operation using an energy source 131 such as a lamp or laser. Nozzle 126 translates across support 134 (shown by arrow A) to dispense feed material at any portion of the build area on support 134 .

In some implementations, energy source 131 trails nozzle 126 as it translates across support 134 such that feed material dispensed through nozzle 126 may be immediately cured. In some implementations, the energy source 131 directs the nozzle 126 as the nozzle 126 translates across the support 134 in the first scan direction while dispensing the feed material. As the energy source 131 scans across the support 134 (e.g., in a second scan direction opposite the first scan direction), the energy source 131 can cure the dispensed feed material, thereby providing the feed material additional time to A steady state is reached prior to exposure to radiation from the energy source 131 . In some implementations, the energy source 131 directs the nozzle 126 as the nozzle 126 translates across the support 134 in the first scan direction, and the energy source 131 is used to direct the dispensed process as the energy source scans in the first scan direction. The material solidifies. Thus, a previously dispensed layer of feed material may be cured almost immediately before another layer is dispensed through nozzle 126 . In some implementations, there are multiple energy sources, with energy source 131 trailing nozzle 126 and energy source 131 leading nozzle 126 .

For the deposited first layer 130 a , the nozzle 126 may spray the feed material onto the support 134 . For a subsequently deposited layer 130b, nozzle 126 may spray onto feed material 132 that has solidified. After each layer 130 is cured, new layers are then deposited on top of the previously deposited layers until the complete three-dimensional polishing layer 122 is produced. Each layer is applied by nozzle 126 in a pattern stored in a 3D graphics computer program running on a computer. Each layer 130 is less than 50%, such as less than 10%, such as less than 5%, such as less than 1%, of the total thickness of polishing layer 122.

The polishing layer 122 may be formed on the support 134 . In some examples, support 134 includes a rigid base, or includes a flexible membrane, such as a layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). If support 134 comprises a flexible membrane, support 134 forms part of polishing pad 102 . For example, support 134 may include backing layer 136 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of polishing pad 102 or a layer positioned between the backing layer and polishing layer 122 . If support 134 includes backing layer 136 of polishing pad 102 , support 134 is not removed from polishing pad 102 after fabrication of polishing pad 102 is complete. Referring to FIG. 1 , polishing pad 102 is mounted to polishing system 100 with backing layer 136 (eg, support 134 ) facing rotatable platen 106 .

If support 134 does not include backing layer 136 of polishing pad 102 , polishing layer 122 may be removed from support 134 after fabrication of polishing pad 102 is complete. In some implementations, the support 134 can include a rigid base covered by a protective film. The polishing pad 102 can be fabricated on the protective film. Thereafter, the protective film can be replaced on the rigid base and a new polishing pad fabricated on the new protective film. The protective film can be removed from the polishing pad, eg, the protective film can remain on the rigid base when the polishing pad is removed, or the protective film can be detached from the rigid base and then peeled off the polishing pad.

Curing of the layer 130 of feed material may be accomplished by polymerization. For example, the layer 130 of feed material can be a monomer, and the monomer can be polymerized in situ by ultraviolet (UV) curing. The feed material can be effectively cured immediately after deposition, or the entire layer 130 of the pad precursor material can be deposited, and then the entire layer 130 is cured simultaneously. Alternatively, droplets 124 may be a polymer melt that solidifies upon cooling. In another implementation, apparatus 120 produces polishing layer 122 by spreading a powder layer and spraying droplets of a binder material onto the powder layer. In this case, the powder may include a layering agent, such as abrasive grains.

In some implementations, the backing layer 136 can also be fabricated by a 3D printing process. For example, backing layer 136 and polishing layer 122 may be fabricated by apparatus 120 in uninterrupted operation. Backing layer 136 may be provided with a different hardness than polishing layer 122 by using a different amount of curing (eg, a different intensity of ultraviolet radiation), or by using a different material. In other implementations, backing layer 136 is fabricated by conventional processing and then secured to polishing layer 122 . For example, polishing layer 122 may be secured to backing layer 136 by a thin layer of adhesive (eg, as a pressure sensitive adhesive).

In some implementations, referring to Figures 2, 3A and 3B, when forming the polishing layer 122, the apparatus 120 can selectively dispense and/or selectively solidify a portion of the feed material to form grooves in the polishing layer 122 138. Recess 138 can hold polishing liquid 108 (shown in FIG. 1 ). The grooves 138 may have almost any pattern, such as concentric circles, straight lines, cross-hatching, spirals, and the like. Given the presence of grooves, the partitions 140 between the grooves 138 define the polishing surface 103 . Polishing surface 103 (eg, including dividers 140 between grooves 138 ) may be about 25-90% (eg, 70-90%) of the total horizontal surface area of polishing pad 102 . Accordingly, grooves 138 may occupy 10%-75% (eg, 10-30%) of the total horizontal surface area of polishing pad 102 . The partitions between the grooves 138 may have a lateral width of about 0.1 to 2.5 mm.

Referring to the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B , in some implementations, grooves 138 comprise concentric circular grooves. The grooves 138 may be evenly spaced at a pitch P. Pitch P is the radial distance between adjacent grooves 138 . The partitions 140 between the grooves 138 have a width _Wp . Each groove 138 is bounded by a sidewall 142 extending from a bottom surface 144 of groove 138 and terminating at polishing surface 103 , eg, at partition 140 . Each groove 138 may have a depth D _g and a width W _g .

The sidewall 142 may extend downward from the polishing surface 103 and be substantially perpendicular to the polishing surface 103 . In this respect, the side walls are substantially perpendicular to the layer 130 of feed material dispensed on the support 134 . Furthermore, the partition 140 extends substantially parallel to the layer 130 of feed material distributed on the support 134 .

Each polishing cycle results in wear of the polishing pad 102, typically in the form of thinning the polishing pad 102 as the polishing surface 103 wears away. The width W _g of the grooves with substantially vertical sidewalls 142 does not change as the polishing pad wears. Thus, the substantially vertical sidewalls 142 ensure that the polishing pad 102 has a substantially uniform surface area over its operational life. As described herein, the manufacturing process used to form polishing pad 102 may include compensating operations to prevent polishing surface 103 from being non-planar, e.g., to ensure planarity or flatness of polishing surface 103, and to on the sidewall 142 of the polishing surface 103 .

Groove 138 may have a minimum width W _g of about 0.34 mm. Each groove 138 may have a width W _g of between 0.34 mm and 2.71 mm, eg, between about 0.38 mm and 1.02 mm. Specifically, groove 138 may have a width W _g of approximately 0.51 mm or 0.68 mm. The pitch P between grooves 138 may be between about 0.68 and 6.10 mm, eg, between about 2.29 mm and 5.40 mm. Specifically, the pitch may be approximately 2.03 or 3.05 mm. Each partition 140 between grooves 138 may have a width W _p of at least 0.34 mm. The ratio of the groove width W _g to the partition width W _p can be selected between approximately 0.10 and 0.4. This ratio may be about 0.2 or 0.3.

In some implementations, grooves 138 may extend completely through polishing layer 122 if polishing pad 102 includes backing layer 136 . In some implementations, grooves 138 may extend about 20-80%, such as 40%, through the thickness of polishing layer 122 . The depth D _g of the groove 138 may be 0.25 to 1 mm. The polishing layer 122 may have a thickness T of between about 1 mm and 3 mm. The thickness T should be selected such that the distance D _p between the bottom surface 144 of the groove 138 and the backing layer 136 is between about 0.5 mm and 4 mm. Specifically, the distance D _p may be about 1 or 2 mm.

Referring to FIG. 4, a fabrication process 200 for forming the polishing pad 102 is shown. For example, additive manufacturing facility 120 including controller 129 may perform the operations of manufacturing process 200 .

Data indicative of a desired shape of the polishing pad 102 to be manufactured is received ( 202 ). Data indicative of a shape, including data indicative of a desired shape, may be defined by a two-dimensional or three-dimensional bitmap. For example, each bit may indicate whether material should be present in the corresponding voxel in the object. In some implementations, the shape data includes data representing a computer-aided design (CAD) model. For example, a CAD model may represent polishing pad 102 to be manufactured if the shape data corresponds to data indicative of a desired shape.

In some examples, referring to FIG. 5 , the desired shape includes a desired feature 300 . When the additive manufacturing apparatus 120 forms the desired shape, no further manipulation of the data indicative of the desired shape, e.g., dispensing feed material and curing or allowing the feed material to cure to form the desired shape, may be based on indicating the desired shape including the desired feature 300 data to form actual features 310 . For example, to form a rectangular desired feature 300, the dispenser 128 is controlled to dispense parallel layers 130 of feed material. For each layer, a selected portion of the feed material having a uniform width corresponding to the width of the rectangular desired feature 300 is cured. Recesses (eg, grooves) may be provided by simply not dispensing any feed material into corresponding areas on the object (eg, polishing pad).

During this dispensing and curing process, the material properties of the feed material and the deposition technique of the build-up fabrication tool 120 may cause the edges of the actual features 310 to become undesirably rounded or chamfered. Specifically, if the layer 130 of feed material is dispensed according to an original pattern determined based on data indicative of the desired shape, the resulting shape includes rounding or chamfering as depicted with respect to the actual feature 310 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, although the top surface 302 of the desired feature 300 is planar, the corresponding top surface 312 of the actual feature 310 is non-planar. Due to the chamfer effect on the top surface 312 , it is desired that the lateral edges 304 a , 304 b of the feature 300 have a greater length than the actual lateral edges 314 a , 314 b of the actual feature formed by the build-up fabrication apparatus 120 . Desirable feature 300 may correspond to divider 140 (shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B ) between grooves 138 . In this regard, the rounding or chamfering effect on top surface 312 may cause polished surface 103 bounded by divider 140 to become non-planar. Without being bound by any particular theory, droplets of feed material (e.g., liquid pad precursor material) sprayed onto a previously deposited layer may spread (e.g., due to wetting) and flow down the sides of feature 300, resulting in rounded.

Referring back to FIG. 4 , data indicative of distortion from a desired profile (caused by dispensing multiple layers by droplet jetting of an additive manufacturing system) is generated ( 204 ). That is, the expected distortion profile is produced. To reduce rounding or chamfering effects (predicted with expected distortion profiles), the data indicating the desired shape can be modified. In this regard, data indicative of a modified pattern for dispensing feed material to compensate for polishing pad distortion is generated or received (206). The distortion includes distortion of the polishing surface 103 of the polishing pad 102 . In some cases, these distortions are caused by additive manufacturing equipment 120, as described herein. The modified pattern differs from the original pattern from which the feed material was dispensed because the modified pattern accounts for the distortion of the actual features 310 relative to the desired features. In this regard, in some implementations, the data indicative of the modification pattern is determined based on the relative difference between the actual feature 310 and the desired feature 300 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the data indicative of a modified shape includes data indicative of a modified feature 320 . Even though the top surface 302 of the desired feature 300 is planar, the top surface 322 of the modified feature 320 is non-planar to compensate for the distortion of the top surface 312 of the actual feature 310 formed by the original pattern. Modified features 320 are determined based on the relative difference between desired features 300 and actual features 310 . The top surface 322 of the modified feature 320 is concave to compensate for the convexity of the top surface 312 of the actual feature 310 . In this regard, the data indicative of the modified shape is determined based on a combination of the data indicative of the desired shape and the data indicative of the actual shape formed using the original pattern.

Referring back to FIG. 4, an initial layer of feed material is dispensed by droplet ejection according to the modified pattern (208). The resulting actual feature 330 is formed based on data indicative of a modified pattern for dispensing the feed material, the modified pattern being determined based on the data indicative of a modified shape.

When the dispenser 128 is controlled to dispense the layer 130 of feed material (210) according to the data indicative of the modified pattern, the size and shape of the selected portion of the layer of cured feed material 130 may be varied by the height of the features. This is in contrast to the process of forming actual features 310 where selected portions of the cured feed material are consistent from layer to layer, since it is desired that the width of feature 300 is consistent from layer to layer.

The modifying feature 320 includes a concave portion 326 having a width that varies with the layer. The modified pattern in which the feed material is dispensed to form the recessed portions 326 is different from the corresponding portion of the original pattern used to form the top portion of the desired feature 300 because the selected cured portion of the layer 130 of feed material used to modify the pattern has a different width and shape. These varying widths and shapes compensate for distortions present in the actual feature 310 such that the resulting actual feature 330 formed using the modified pattern has reduced convexity compared to the actual feature 310 formed using the original pattern. For example, top surface 332 of actual feature 330 has increased planarity and flatness compared to top surface 312 of actual feature 310 . This correction, defined by the modified pattern, can better match the resulting shape of the polishing pad 102 to the original desired shape of the polishing pad 102 by deliberately controlling where the feed material is dispensed and solidified.

For example, controller 129 may receive an initial data object, such as a computer-aided design (CAD) compatible file, such as a bitmap, specifying an initial or intended shape of an object to be manufactured. Data objects may be stored on non-transitory computer readable media. Controller 129 may be programmed to generate a modified data object, eg, a modified bitmap, that includes features for reducing rounding or chamfering. The modified data object may be based on the expected shape indicated by the initial data object and data indicative of changes in the expected shape introduced by the additive manufacturing process. Thus, when polishing pad 102 is fabricated using a modified data object (eg, a modified bitmap), it more closely matches the desired design.

FIG. 7 shows another example of a desired feature 400 and an actual feature 410 formed from a dispensing and curing pattern determined from data indicative of the desired feature 400 . In this particular example, it is desired that the features 400 have a width of 680 μm and a height of 500 μm, but other dimensions are suitable in implementing the process. As shown, actual feature 410 has a non-planar top surface and sloped sidewalls.

It is desirable that feature 400 is a constant width feature, such as divider 140 separating groove 138 of polishing pad 102 . The constant width of the partitions 140 may improve wafer-to-wafer polishing uniformity. Additionally, the polishing efficacy of polishing pad 102 may depend on the planarity of polishing surface 103 . Using the processes described herein, data indicative of a modified pattern may be generated such that the resulting actual feature formed using the modified pattern more closely matches the desired feature 400 . In particular, the modified pattern corresponds to the original pattern with an additional correction profile determined using the process described herein. The additional correction profile compensates for the distortion of the actual feature 410 formed using the original pattern.

The examples of FIGS. 8A-8C are cross-sections of layers dispensed and cured by fabrication equipment 120 . In some implementations, the data indicative of the shapes described herein includes a bitmap representation of the shape to be formed or the shape formed. Each bit of the bitmap may correspond to a voxel of a feature of polishing pad 102 to be formed.

For example, FIG. 8A shows a first layer 804 to be deposited to form the desired feature 400 . To compensate for the distortion, the two outer regions of the divider 806 along the two opposing edges of the feature are apportioned and deposited to form the perimeter of the divider 806 . The two outer regions may be bounded by a first set of voxels 802a providing a first region adjacent to a first edge and a second set of voxels 802b providing a second region adjacent to a second edge.

After curing the first edge 802a and the second edge 802b, a continuous layer 808 is deposited on top of the initial layer 804, as shown in FIG. 8B. The continuous layer 808 has sufficient material to fill the remainder of the partition 806 between the first set of voxels 802a and the second set of voxels 802b providing the edge, and between the first set of voxels 802a and the second set of voxels 802b Additional layers are deposited on top of 802b. The resulting concave shape at least partially compensates for the distortion of the desired feature caused by depositing successive layers.

As shown in FIG. 8C, after depositing a plurality of successive layers 810, the resulting features (e.g., partitions 806) may have top surfaces 812 with edges that are less subject to rounding and/or other forms of distortion. 814.

The original data object does not need to include the original layer, while the modified data object includes the original layer. In particular, the controller can determine distortions that will occur to the object being fabricated and then generate initial layers to compensate for these distortions. For example, the controller may identify regions that are expected to be thin relative to the desired profile. These regions can be made thicker by assigning voxels corresponding to the regions to the initial layer.

Alternatively, the original data object may include the original layer, and the modified data object includes the modified original layer. For example, regions that are expected to be thinner relative to the desired profile can be made thicker by modifying the voxels corresponding to regions in the initial layer to deposit more material so that the initial layer is thicker in those regions.

In some implementations, the second layer 808 can be formed by a second, different droplet ejection process. For example, a first layer 804 may be formed by spraying liquid droplets having a first composition, and a second layer may be formed by spraying liquid droplets having a second, different composition. For example, the first material can be a first polymer and the second layer 808 can be a second polymer. The first material may be a composition that cures faster than the second material under otherwise similar environmental conditions.

As another example, the step of depositing the first layer 804 may include applying first curing radiation to the first layer 804, and the step of depositing the second layer 808 may include applying a second curing radiation that cures the second layer. 808 cures the first layer 804 more slowly than the first curing radiation. In some implementations, the first curing radiation and the second curing radiation have different wavelengths, different intensities, or different delays between ejecting the droplet and applying the corresponding curing radiation.

Although FIGS. 8A-8C show the first layer 804 deposited directly on the support 134, as shown in FIG. on a plurality of layers 820 of . In this case, the first layer 820 is the first layer of features (eg, partitions) that protrude above the body. In this case, layer 804 is still located at the perimeter of divider 806 .

The examples of FIGS. 9A-9C are cross-sections of layers dispensed and cured by the build-up manufacturing equipment 120 . In some implementations, the data indicative of the shapes described herein includes a bitmap representation of the shape to be formed or the shape formed. Each bit of the bitmap may correspond to a voxel of a feature of polishing pad 102 to be formed.

For example, FIG. 9A shows a first layer 904 to be deposited to form the desired feature 400 . To compensate for the distortion, two outer regions (comprising a first region adjacent to the first edge and a second region adjacent to the second edge) are allocated and deposited to form the perimeter of the partition 906 . A first set of voxels 902a may provide a first region, while a second set of voxels 902b may provide a second region.

As shown in FIG. 9B , after curing the first set of voxels 902 a and the second set of voxels 902 b , a third set of voxels 908 is deposited between the boundaries formed by the first layer 904 . That is, the continuous layer 908 has sufficient material to fill the remainder of the partition 906 and the deposition area between the first set of voxels 902a and the second set of voxels 902b. In this example, little to no concave shape is formed. Instead, the edge portions (902a and 902b) are formed by processing to better maintain the verticality of the sidewalls. This at least partially compensates for the distortion of the actual feature 410 . In effect, edge portions ( 902 a and 902 b ) serve as walls to retain the remainder of the polishing pad precursor that will form the central portion of partition 908 .

In some implementations, the third set of voxels 908 can be deposited by a second, different droplet ejection process. For example, the first set of voxels 902a and the second set of voxels 902b may use a faster-curing material (such as the first polymer) than the material used to form the droplets of the third set of voxels 908 (eg, the second polymer). matter) droplets are formed.

In some implementations, the step of depositing the first set of voxels 902a and the second set of voxels 902b can include a first curing radiation, while the step of depositing the third set of voxels 908 can include a second curing radiation that cures The third set of voxels 908 is slower than the first curing radiation to cure the first set of voxels 902a and the second set of voxels 902b. In such an implementation, the first curing radiation and the second curing radiation may be at different wavelengths or different intensities. Devices may include different energy sources (eg, different UV light) to provide different wavelengths or intensities. Alternatively, the same energy source can be driven at different power levels to provide different intensities.

As shown in Figure 9C, this process can be repeated until a plurality of successive layers 910 are deposited. The edge portions 902 a , 902 b are used to form walls providing the vertical outer surface of the partition 906 , wherein the interior of the partition is provided by the third set of voxels 908 . Assuming the capture material is not removed and a portion of the polishing pad is provided, the edge portions 902a, 902b will be the areas inside and adjoining the perimeter of the divider. The controller can be programmed to determine these areas from a data file.

As shown in Figure 9D, in some implementations, the capture material (ie, the material of the first set of voxels 902a and the second set of voxels 902b) can be removed (eg, by a selective etch process). This leaves only the material of the third group of voxels 908 remaining. In such a case, the edge portions 902a, 902b would be the areas outside and adjacent to the perimeter of the partition. Again, the controller can be programmed to determine these areas from the data file.

This technique may be advantageous if the third group of voxels 908 is formed from an optically transparent material (eg, used to form a CMP window). This technique is also advantageous for pad designs for fixed abrasive roll formats. This technique can also be used for secondary polymer curing of the third set of voxels 908, where the material of voxels 902a and 902b is used as a mask.

In some implementations, at least a central portion of the partition (ie, the third set of voxels) undergoes a secondary polymer curing process. The capture material (ie, the material of the first set of voxels 902a and the second set of voxels 902b) can be removed after post-curing.

Although Figures 9A-9C show layer 910 deposited directly on support 134, as shown in Figure 9E, a plurality of layers 910 providing spacers may be formed on the body of the object being fabricated (e.g., a polishing pad). subject) on the plurality of layers 920. In this case, the first layer 904 is the first layer of features (eg, partitions) that protrude above the body.

Figure 10 shows an exemplary process for depositing a first set of continuous layers 1010 onto a support 134 by droplet jetting. The step of depositing a first set of continuous layers 1010 includes dispensing a polishing pad precursor 1008a from a first injector 1006a to a first set of regions, such as regions 1004b, corresponding to partitions of the polishing pad. Additionally, the step of depositing the first set of continuous layers 1010 includes dispensing the sacrificial material 1008b from the second injector 1006b to a set of second regions, such as regions 1004a, corresponding to the grooves of the polishing pad. The first injector 1006a and the second injector 1006b may draw from different sources of feed material. In particular, sacrificial material 1008b may be deposited simultaneously with pad precursor 1008a. Simultaneous deposition allows an entire layer to be deposited with one single pass of the first injector 1006a and the second injector 1006b. The sacrificial material 1008b at least partially reduces distortion that may occur if the pad precursor 1008a is self-deposited by holding the deposited pad precursor 1008a in place before and during curing.

After the first set of continuous layers 1010 are deposited, a plurality of second continuous layers 1012 are deposited on the first set of continuous layers 1010 by droplet spraying. The second set of continuous layers 1012 spans both the first region 1004b and the second region 1004a. In some implementations, some or all of the second set of continuous layers 1012 corresponds to the lower portion of the polishing layer of the polishing pad and is formed from the polishing pad precursor 1008a. In some implementations, some or all of the second set of continuous layers 1012 are formed to have a different material composition than the first set of continuous layers 1010, and may correspond to a backing layer (eg, a subpad) of a polishing pad. Such layers may be formed from different materials (e.g., different precursors), or the same precursor may be sprayed, but processed differently, e.g., subjected to more or less curing, to provide different degrees of polymerization and thus have different hardness.

In this implementation, the polishing pad is fabricated upside down. That is, the uppermost layer of deposited material corresponds to the base or lower portion of the polishing pad. The first set of continuous layers 1010 and the second set of continuous layers 1012 provide the body of the polishing pad.

Once the deposition of the polishing pad material is complete, the body of the polishing pad is removed from the support 134 . The sacrificial material 1008b is removed from the body, e.g., by selectively etching the sacrificial material, or by lifting the body of the polishing pad while the sacrificial material remains on the support, to provide the polishing pad with a polishing surface defined by concave Slot-separated divider.

In some implementations, the third set of contiguous layers is deposited over the second set of contiguous layers 1012 by droplet ejection. The third set of continuous layers may have a different composition than the second set of continuous layers 1012 . The second set of continuous layers 1012 may correspond to the lower portion of the polishing pad (also referred to as a sub-pad of the polishing layer).

Referring to FIG. 11A, in some implementations, the top surface of the support 134 includes textures (eg, protrusions 1100), and the polishing pad precursor 1108 is sprayed to fill the spaces between the protrusions to create a complementary texture on the polishing pad, For example, grooves. In particular, depositing first set of continuous layers 1110 includes dispensing polishing pad precursor 1108 from injector 1106 to form a first set of regions, such as regions 1104 , corresponding to partitions of the polishing pad. After the first set of continuous layers 1110 is deposited, a plurality of second continuous layers 1112 are deposited over the first set of continuous layers 1010 . The second set of continuous layers 1112 spans both the first region 1004 and the protrusion 1110 .

In some implementations, some or all of the second set of continuous layers 1112 corresponds to the lower portion of the polishing layer of the polishing pad and is formed from the polishing pad precursor 1108 . In some implementations, some or all of the second set of continuous layers 1112 are formed to have a different material composition than the first set of continuous layers 1110, and may correspond to a backing layer (eg, a subpad) of a polishing pad. Such layers may be formed from different materials (e.g., different precursors), or the same precursor may be sprayed, but processed differently, e.g., subjected to more or less curing to provide different degrees of polymerization and thus have different hardness.

Referring to FIG. 11B , instead of forming the texture in the support 134 , the texture can be provided by a film 1120 placed on the support 134 . In this case, the polishing pad precursor is sprayed onto the film 1120, and the film 1120 is removed from the polishing pad after fabrication.

For any of the various implementations discussed above, instead of the dispenser 128 scanning over the support 134, the support may be movable. For example, referring to FIG. 12, the support 134 may be a continuous belt. Belt 134 may be driven by drive wheels 160 powered by one or more actuators to move the belt (shown by arrow B) to deliver dispensed polishing pad precursor under energy source 131 to cure the precursor To form a polishing pad as a sheet. Although only one dispenser 128 and energy source 131 are shown, there may be multiple dispensers and energy sources arranged in series along the belt 134 such that multiple layers may be formed successively on the belt to form the entire thickness of the polishing pad . Cured polishing pad 162 may then be lifted from belt 134 and wound onto take-up roll 164 .

The controller (eg, controller 129 ) can be implemented with digital electronic circuits or computer software, firmware or hardware, or a combination thereof. The controller may include one or more computer program products, that is, one or more computer programs tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium or in a propagated signal, by Executed by, or controlling the operation of, data processing equipment (eg, a programmable processor, computer, or multiple processors or computers). A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, or code) may be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and may be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, Subroutine, or other unit as appropriate for the computing environment. A computer program can be deployed on one computer or executed on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. Processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and devices can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuits, such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits).

The controller 129 and other computing device portions of the described system may include non-transitory computer-readable media for storing data objects (e.g., computer-aided design (CAD) compatible files) that identify feed materials that should be formed in Patterns for each layer. For example, the data object can be a file in STL format, a file in 3D manufacturing format (3MF) or a file in additive manufacturing file format (AMF). For example, the controller can receive data objects from a remote computer. A processor in controller 129 (e.g., controlled by firmware or software) can interpret data objects received from the computer to generate the set of signals needed to control the components of additive manufacturing apparatus 120 to deposit the desired pattern and/or cure each layer.

A number of implementations have been described. However, it will be understood that various modifications may be made.

The approach shown in Figure 6 is to deposit one or more additional layers of feed material to compensate for feature heights that are less than desired. For example, one or more additional layers of feed material may be deposited in areas where rounding or chamfering occurs. However, alternatively or additionally, the amount of feed material deposited in the layer may compensate for height features that are less than desired. For example, the size of the droplets or the number of droplets ejected may be increased for voxels located in regions where the height characteristics are smaller than desired (eg, regions where rounding or chamfering occurs).

In some implementations, the distribution of the volume of feed material is varied depending on the location of the droplet 124 to be dispensed. The volume of the droplets 124 of the feed material varies during the dispensing operation. For example, referring back to FIG. 6, the volume of the droplets 124 used to form the edges 322a, 322b of the feature may be smaller than the volume of the droplets 124 used to form the interior portion 322c of the feature. The controller 129 determines the appropriate weight for forming the edges 322a, 322b and the weight for forming the inner portion 322c based on the material properties of the feed material. The dispenser 128 can dispense less feed material to minimize tumble of the feed material. As the dispenser 128 moves to form the interior portion 322c of the feature, the volume of the droplet increases. In some implementations, the volume of the droplet 124 defines a gradient from the edges 322a, 322b of the feature to the center. Depending on the wetting effect of the feed material, this type of volume control can be used to regulate the amount of feed material that solidifies when the energy source 131 (if present) is operated. For example, if the energy source 131 is scanned across the support 134 to solidify different portions of the dispensed feed material, then for each pass of the energy source 131, droplet volume control may allow less feed material to roll off while simultaneously More feed material is injected at the edges 322a, 322b of the features to reduce the chamfering effect described herein.

In some implementations, multiple types of feed material are dispensed. Additive manufacturing device 120 includes, for example, two or more dispensers, each dispenser dispensing a different type of feed material. In some cases, a single dispenser (eg, dispenser 128 ) receives multiple types of feed materials and dispenses a mixture of the multiple types of feed materials. Because the properties of the first type of feed material may be different from the properties of the second type of feed material, the modification to the original pattern of dispensing the first type of feed material may include greater or greater modifications than the original pattern. A small amount of scaling to dispense the second type of feed material. Alternatively, if the droplet weight is controlled, the weight of the droplets of the first type of feed material can be controlled to be higher or lower than the weight of the droplets of the second type of feed material. In some cases, the size of the droplets of the first type of feed material can be controlled to be larger or smaller than the size of the droplets of the second type of feed material.

In some implementations, multiple types of feed materials form different portions of polishing pad 102, such as to form polishing layer 122 and backing layer 136, or to form different portions of polishing layer 122, such as to provide A polishing layer having polishing properties that vary laterally across the polishing surface. The second type of feed material may comprise the first type of feed material with a layering agent that modifies the properties of the second type of feed material relative to the first type of feed material. Laminating agents include, for example, surfactants that can adjust properties of the uncured feed material, such as zeta potential, hydrophilicity, etc.

The thickness of each of the layers of feed material and the size of each of the voxels may vary from implementation to implementation. In some implementations, when dispensed on support 134, each voxel can have a thickness of, for example, 10 μm to 50 μm (eg, 10 μm to 30 μm, 20 μm to 40 μm, 30 μm to 50 μm, about 20 μm, about 30 μm, or about 50 μm) width. Each layer may have a predetermined thickness. The thickness can be, for example, 1 to 80 μm (eg, 2 to 40 μm (eg, 2 μm to 4 μm, 5 μm to 7 μm, 10 μm to 20 μm, 25 μm to 40 μm)).

Although the methods and apparatus have been described in the context of making polishing pads, the methods and apparatus are applicable to making other articles by additive manufacturing. In this case, in addition to the polished surface, there will simply be the top surface of the object to be manufactured, and there will be recesses in the top surface. The modified pattern can at least partially compensate for distortions caused by the additive manufacturing system.

Additionally, although the methods and apparatus have been described in the context of fabrication by droplet ejection, the methods and apparatus may be adapted for fabrication by other additive manufacturing techniques such as selective powder dispensing followed by sintering.

Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of this patent application.

100: Polishing system 102: Polishing pad 103: polished surface 104: Substrate 106: Platen 108: polishing liquid 110: Slurry/rinse arm 112: carrier head 114: carrier drive shaft 116: axis 120: Additive manufacturing equipment/equipment 122: Polishing layer 124: droplet 126: Nozzle 128:Distributor 129: Controller 130: layer 130a: first floor 130b: Subsequent Deposited Layers 131: energy source 132: Feed material 134: support/belt 136: backing layer 138: Groove 140: Partition 142: side wall 144: bottom surface 160: drive wheel 162: Polishing gasket 164: receiving roller 200: Manufacturing processing 202: Receive data indicative of desired shape of polishing pad to be manufactured 204: Generate data indicative of distortion from desired profile 206: Generate or Receive Data Indicative of Modified Pattern of Dispensed Feed Material Compensating for Polishing Pad Distortion 208: Distributing an initial layer of feed material by droplet ejection 210: Controlling the dispenser 128 to dispense the layer 130 of feed material according to the data indicating the modified pattern 300: Desired Features/Characteristics 302: top surface 304a: Horizontal edge 304b: Horizontal edge 310: Actual Features 312: top surface 314a: Horizontal edge 314b: Horizontal edge 320: Modify features 322: top surface 322a: edge 322b: edge 322c: Internal part 326: concave part 330: Actual Features 332: top surface 802a: First set of voxels/first edge 802b: Second set of voxels/second edge 804: first layer/initial layer/layer 806: Partition 808: Continuous layer/Second layer 810: continuous layer 812: top surface 814: edge 820: plural layers/first layer 902a: First group of voxels/edge parts 902b: second set of voxels/edge parts 904: first floor 906: Partition 908: The third set of voxels/partitions/continuous layers 910: layer 920: Multiple layers 1004a: area 1004b: area 1006a: First injector 1006b: Second injector 1008a: pad precursor 1008b: Sacrificial material 1010: The first set of continuous layers 1012: the second continuous layer/the second group of continuous layers 1100:Protrusion 1104: area 1106: Injector 1108: Polishing pad precursor 1110: First set of consecutive layers/protrusions 1112: second continuous layer/second group of continuous layers 1120: Membrane

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a polishing system.

Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of an additive manufacturing facility.

Figure 3A is a top view of an example of a polishing pad.

Figure 3B is a side view of the polishing pad of Figure 3A.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of a process to form an article.

Figure 5 shows an example of the actual shape formed based on the desired shape.

Figure 6 shows the actual shape formed based on the modification of the desired shape from Figure 5.

Fig. 7 shows another example of the actual shape formed based on the desired shape.

Figures 8A-8D are side view representations of exemplary patterns and methods for deposition.

Figures 9A-9E are side view representations of exemplary patterns and methods for deposition.

Figure 10 is a schematic side view of another implementation of an additive manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 11A is a schematic side view of another implementation of an additive manufacturing apparatus.

Figure 1 IB is a schematic side view of another implementation of an additive manufacturing apparatus.

Figure 12 is a schematic side view of another implementation of an additive manufacturing apparatus.

Like reference numerals and labels denote like elements in the various drawings.

Domestic deposit information (please note in order of depositor, date, and number) none Overseas storage information (please note in order of storage country, institution, date, and number) none

120:Laminated manufacturing equipment

122: Polishing layer

124: droplet

126: Nozzle

128:Distributor

129: Controller

130: layer

130a: first floor

130b: Subsequent Deposited Layers

131: energy source

132: Feed material

134: support/belt

138: Groove

Claims (22)

A method of manufacturing a polishing pad using an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising the steps of: Depositing a plurality of first continuous layers by droplet jetting onto a support to form a polishing layer of the polishing pad, wherein the support includes a plurality of protrusions, and wherein depositing the plurality of first continuous layers includes The steps of dispensing a first plurality of first layers from the plurality of first consecutive layers, the following steps being performed for each individual first layer of the first plurality of first layers jetting a plurality of droplets of a polishing layer precursor into gaps between the protrusions to form the individual first layer, and curing the individual first layer prior to depositing a subsequent first layer, and dispensing a second plurality of layers from the plurality of first successive layers in Over the first plurality of layers, for each individual second layer of the second plurality of layers: jetting a plurality of droplets of the polishing layer precursor to form the individual second layer, each individual second layer spanning the protrusions and the gaps, and curing the individual second layer prior to depositing a subsequent second layer; and removing the polishing layer from the support, the polishing layer having a surface having surfaces corresponding to the plurality of A plurality of protruding grooves, a plurality of partitions separating the grooves, and a lower portion spanning and supporting the partitions. The method of claim 1, wherein the support comprises a rigid base having the protrusions. The method of claim 1, wherein the support comprises a membrane having the protrusions, the membrane resting on a rigid base. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of depositing the first plurality of successive layers onto the support comprises creating relative motion between a dispenser and the support. The method of claim 4, wherein the support comprises a belt and generating relative motion comprises moving the belt. An additive manufacturing system comprising: a support member having a plurality of protrusions; a dispenser configured to dispense a polishing layer precursor by droplet jetting to form a plurality of first successive layers of a polishing pad; at least one energy source to cure the polishing layer precursor; and a controller configured to for each individual first layer of the first plurality of first layers, causing the dispenser to eject droplets of polishing layer precursor into gaps between the protrusions to form the respective first layer, and causing the energy source to cure the respective first layer prior to depositing a subsequent first layer, and For each individual second layer of the second plurality of layers, causing the dispenser to eject a plurality of droplets of a polishing layer precursor to form the individual second layers, each individual second layer spanning the protrusions and the gaps, and The energy source is caused to cure the respective second layer prior to depositing a subsequent second layer. The system of claim 6, wherein the support comprises a rigid base having the protrusions. The system of claim 6, wherein the support comprises a membrane having the protrusions, the membrane resting on a rigid base. The system of claim 6, comprising an actuator coupled to at least one of the support and the dispenser to generate relative movement between a dispenser and the support. The system of claim 9, wherein the support comprises a belt and the actuator is configured to move the belt. A method of manufacturing a polishing pad using an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising the steps of: receiving data indicative of a desired shape of the polishing pad to be fabricated by drop ejection by the additive manufacturing system, the desired shape defining a desired profile, the desired profile comprising having grooves on the polishing pad by one or more grooves separating a polished surface of one or more partitions; generating data indicative of distortion of the desired profile caused by the additive manufacturing system dispensing layers by droplet ejection; generating a data indicative of dispensing by droplet ejection initial layer data to at least partially compensate for the distortion from the desired profile; dispensing the initial layer on a support by droplet jetting; and dispensing a plurality of cover layers by droplet jetting by the additive manufacturing system The polishing pad is formed on the initial layer. The method of claim 11, wherein the distortion includes regions that are expected to be thinner relative to the desired profile. The method of claim 12, wherein the regions correspond to edges of the one or more partitions. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions to cause one or more processors to: receiving data indicative of a desired shape of a polishing pad manufactured by droplet ejection by the additive manufacturing system, the desired shape defining a desired profile including the polishing pad having grooves on the polishing pad by one or more grooves separating a polished surface of one or more partitions; generating data indicative of distortion of the desired profile caused by the additive manufacturing system dispensing layers by droplet ejection; generating a data indicative of dispensing by droplet ejection initial layer data to at least partially compensate for the distortion from the desired profile; causing an additive manufacturing system to dispense the initial layer on a support by droplet jetting; and causing the additive manufacturing system to manufacture by the additive The system dispenses a plurality of covering layers on the initial layer by droplet jetting to form the polishing pad. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for generating data indicative of distortion include instructions for identifying regions expected to be thinner relative to the desired profile, and wherein for generating data indicative of the initial The instructions of the layer's data include instructions to assign voxels corresponding to the regions to the initial layer. A method of manufacturing a polishing pad using an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising the steps of: The polishing pad is formed by depositing a plurality of successive layers by droplet jetting, the polishing pad comprising a polishing surface having one or more partitions separated by one or more grooves, and wherein the A layer of the continuous layer comprises dispensing by a first droplet jetting process a plurality of first regions corresponding to the plurality of edges of the one or more partitions, and after curing the first regions, by a different The second droplet ejection process distributes a second region corresponding to an interior of the one or more partitions between the edges. The method of claim 16, wherein the first droplet ejection dispenses a plurality of droplets of a first composition and the second droplet ejection process dispenses a different plurality of droplets of a second composition. The method of claim 17, comprising removing one or more portions of the plurality of successive layers formed from the first component. The method of claim 16, comprising not ejecting liquid droplets into areas corresponding to the grooves. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions to cause one or more processors to: Receiving data indicative of a desired shape of a polishing pad manufactured by droplet ejection by an additive manufacturing system, the polishing pad comprising a polishing surface having one or more partitions separated by one or more grooves ; determining data corresponding to a plurality of first regions of edges of the partitions and a plurality of second regions corresponding to interior portions of the partitions; and causing the additive manufacturing system to eject by droplets Depositing a plurality of successive layers to form the polishing pad, wherein the instructions for depositing the plurality of successive layers include instructions for causing the additive manufacturing system to perform the steps of: allocating the first regions by a first droplet ejection process , and after curing the first regions, dispensing the second regions by a different second droplet ejection process. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions for determining first regions corresponding to edges of the dividers comprises determining the regions outside a perimeter of the dividers and adjacent to the dividers Peripheral multiple first zone directives. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions for determining first regions corresponding to edges of the dividers comprises determining the regions within a perimeter of the dividers and adjacent to the dividers Peripheral multiple first zone directives.

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