Method for forming a porous polishing pad

1. A method of forming a chemical mechanical polishing pad, comprising:

providing a tank with polymeric materials;

providing a storage silo with unexpanded microspheres;

providing an isocyanate storage tank with isocyanates;

providing a premix prep tank for forming a pre-mixture of the polymeric materials and the unexpanded microspheres;

providing a recirculation loop on the premix prep tank for controlling a bulk density of the pre-mixture in the premix prep tank;

providing an in-line densitometer in the recirculation loop for measuring the bulk density of the pre-mixture;

providing a premix run tank for storing the pre-mixture;

providing a mixer for forming a mixture of the pre-mixture and the isocyanates;

providing a closed mold for molding the mixture;

delivering the polymeric materials and the unexpanded microspheres to the premix prep tank forming a pre-mixture of the polymeric materials and the unexpanded microspheres;

recirculating the pre-mixture through the recirculation loop on the premix tank and adding polymeric materials or unexpanded microspheres to obtain a desired bulk density;

delivering the pre-mixture having the desired bulk density to the premix run tank;

delivering the pre-mixture having the desired bulk density and the isocyanates to the mixer forming a mixture of the pre-mixture and the isocyanates;

injecting the mixture into the closed mold;

curing the mixture to form a molded product; and

expanding the unexpanded microspheres in the molded product to form a polishing pad.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the unexpanded microspheres comprise polyvinyl alcohols, pectin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, hydroxyethylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydropropylmethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, polyacrylic acids, polyacrylamides, polyethylene glycols, polyhydroxyetheracrylites, starches, maleic acid copolymers, polyethylene oxide, polyurethanes, cyclodextrin, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylidene chloride, copolymers of acrylonitrile and vinylidene chloride and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymeric materials comprise polytetramethylene ether glycol, polyethylene propylene glycol, polyoxypropylene glycol, polyethylene adipate glycol, polybutylene adipate glycol, polyethylene propylene adipate glycol, o-phthalate-1,6-hexanediol, poly(hexamethylene adipate) glycol, 1,6-hexanediol-initiated polycaprolactone, diethylene glycol initiated polycaprolactone, trimethylol propane initiated polycaprolactone, neopentyl glycol initiated polycaprolactone, 1,4-butanediol-initiated polycaprolactone, PTMEG-initiated polycaprolactone, polyphthalate carbonate, poly(hexamethylene carbonate) glycol, diethyl toluene diamine (“DETDA”), 3,5-dimethylthio-2,4-toluenediamine and isomers thereof, 3,5-diethyltoluene-2,4-diamine and isomers thereof, such as 3,5-diethyltoluene-2,6-diamine, 4,4′-bis-(sec-butylamino)-diphenylmethane, 1,4-bis-(sec-butylamino)-benzene, 4,4′-methylene-bis-(2-chloroaniline), 4,4′-methylene-bis-(3-chloro-2,6-diethylaniline) (“MCDEA”), polytetramethyleneoxide-di-p-aminobenzoate, N,N′-dialkyldiamino diphenyl methane, p,p′-methylene dianiline (“MDA”), m-phenylenediamine (“MPDA”), methylene-bis 2-chloroaniline (“MBOCA”), 4,4′-methylene-bis-(2-chloroaniline) (“MOCA”), 4,4′-methylene-bis-(2,6-diethylaniline) (“MDEA”), 4,4′-methylene-bis-(2,3-dichloroaniline) (“MDCA”), 4,4′-diamino-3,3′-diethyl-5,5′-dimethyl diphenylmethane, 2,2′,3,3′-tetrachloro diamino diphenylmethane, trimethylene glycol di-p-aminobenzoate, and blends thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the isocyanates comprise, methylene bis 4,4′ cyclohexylisocyanate, cyclohexyl diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, propylene-1,2-diisocyanate, tetramethylene-1,4-diisocyanate, 1,6-hexamethylene-diisocyanate, dodecane-1,12-diisocyanate, cyclobutane-1,3-diisocyanate, cyclohexane-1,3-diisocyanate, cyclohexane-1,4- diisocyanate, 1-isocyanato-3,3,5-trimethyl-5-isocyanatomethylcyclohexane, methyl cyclohexylene diisocyanate, triisocyanate of hexamethylene diisocyanate, triisocyanate of 2,4,4-trimethyl-1,6-hexane diisocyanate, uretdione of hexamethylene diisocyanate, ethylene diisocyanate, 2,2,4-trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate, 2,4,4-trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate, dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate (TDI), TDI prepolymer, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), crude MDI, polymeric MDI, urethodione-modified MDI, carbodimide-modified MDI, and mixtures thereof.

5. A method of forming a chemical mechanical polishing pad, comprising:

providing a polyol storage tank with polymeric materials;

providing a storage silo with unexpanded microspheres;

providing an isocyanate storage tank with isocyanates;

providing a premix run/prep tank for forming a pre-mixture of the polymeric materials and the unexpanded microspheres;

providing a recirculation loop on the premix run/prep tank for controlling a bulk density of the pre-mixture in the premix run/prep tank;

providing an in-line densitometer in the recirculation loop for measuring the bulk density of the pre-mixture;

providing a mixer for forming a mixture of the pre-mixture and the isocyanates;

providing a closed mold for molding the mixture;

delivering the polymeric materials and the unexpanded microspheres to the premix run/prep tank forming a pre-mixture of the polymeric materials and the unexpanded microspheres;

recirculating the pre-mixture through the recirculation loop on the premix run/prep tank until the desired bulk density is reached;

delivering the pre-mixture having the desired bulk density and the curing agents to the mixer forming a mixture of the pre-mixture and the isocyanates;

injecting the mixture into the closed mold;

curing the mixture in the closed mold to form a molded product; and

expanding the unexpanded microspheres in the molded product to form the polishing pad.