Chemical mechanical polishing system and method of using

1. A method of conditioning a polishing pad comprising:

performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process using the polishing pad;

receiving information on a roughness of the polishing pad from a first sensor;

conditioning the polishing pad using a conditioner;

detecting the roughness of the polishing pad following the conditioning;

tracking a number of iterations of the conditioning; and

outputting a signal for replacing the polishing pad in response to the number of iterations reaching an iteration limit; and

repeating the conditioning in response to the detected roughness of the polishing pad being outside of a threshold roughness range, wherein repeating the conditioning comprises continuing the CMP process during the repeating the conditioning.

2. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein outputting the signal for replacing the polishing pad comprises outputting the signal in response to the number of iterations exceeding a value ranging from 3 to 5.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving information on the roughness of the polishing pad from a second sensor, wherein the second sensor is configured detect the roughness at a location different from the first sensor; and

determining a roughness profile of the polishing pad based on the information received from the first sensor and the second sensor.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising adjusting a location of the conditioner relative to the polishing pad based on the determined roughness profile.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein adjusting the location of the conditioner comprises moving the conditioner in a direction parallel to a top surface of the polishing pad.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting a pressure exerted on the polishing pad by the conditioner based on information received from the first sensor.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein adjusting the pressure comprises moving the conditioner in a direction perpendicular to a top surface of the polishing pad.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein conditioning the polishing pad comprises conditioning the polishing pad during a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein conditioning the polishing pad comprises conditioning the polishing pad after a CMP process.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the information on the roughness comprises receiving the information on the roughness during a CMP process.

11. A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system comprising:

a polishing pad configured to polish a wafer;

a first sensor configured to detect a roughness of the polishing pad;

a conditioner configured to adjust the roughness of the polishing pad; and

a controller configured to control the conditioner based on information received from the first sensor, wherein the controller is configured to:

track a number of iterations of a conditioning process performed by the conditioner on the polishing pad, and

generate a signal for replacing the polishing pad in response to the number of iterations reaching an iteration limit.

12. The CMP system of claim 11 , wherein the first sensor is an optical sensor.

13. The CMP system of claim 11 , further comprising a second sensor configured to detect the roughness of the polishing pad, wherein the second sensor positioned over a different portion of the polishing pad than the first sensor.

14. The CMP system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a roughness profile of the polishing pad based on information from the first sensor and from the second sensor.

15. The CMP system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to control the conditioner based on the determined roughness profile.

16. The CMP system of claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to control a location of the conditioner relative to the polishing pad based on the determined roughness profile.

17. The CMP system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to control a pressure exerted on the polishing pad by the conditioner based on the information received from the first sensor.

18. The CMP system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to track the number of iterations of the conditioning process.

19. A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system comprising:

a polishing head configured to hold a wafer during a CMP process;

a polishing pad configured to polish the wafer;

a plurality of sensors configured to detect a roughness of the polishing pad;

a conditioner configured to adjust the roughness of the polishing pad; and

a controller configured to control the conditioner based on information received from the plurality of sensors, wherein the controller is configured to:

track a number of iterations of the conditioning;

output a signal for replacing the polishing pad in response to the number of iterations reaching an iteration limit,

control a location of the conditioner relative to the polishing pad, and

control a pressure exerted on the polishing pad by the conditioner.

20. The CMP system of claim 19 , wherein a first sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to emit light toward the polishing pad, and a second sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to receive the emitted light reflected from the polishing pad.