(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/0155298 A1
`Sung
`Jul. 5, 2007
`(43) Pub. Date:
`
`US 20070155298A1
`
`(54)
`
`(76)
`
`(21)
`(22)
`
`(63)
`
`SUPERHARD CUTTERS AND ASSOCATED
`METHODS
`
`Inventor: Chien-Min Sung, Tansui (TW)
`Correspondence Address:
`THORPE NORTH & WESTERN, LLP.
`8180 SOUTH 700 EAST, SUITE 200
`SANDY, UT 84070 (US)
`Appl. No.:
`11/560,817
`
`Filed:
`
`Nov. 16, 2006
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`Continuation-in-part of application No. 1 1/357,713,
`filed on Feb. 17, 2006.
`Continuation-in-part of application No. 1 1/223,786,
`filed on Sep. 9, 2005.
`
`Continuation-in-part of application No. 10/925,894,
`filed on Aug. 24, 2004.
`Provisional application No. 60/681,798, filed on May
`16, 2005.
`
`(60)
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`
`Int. C.
`B24D II/00
`U.S. C.
`
`(2006.01)
`
`451/527
`
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A cutting device comprises a base having a solidified organic
`material layer disposed thereon. A plurality of individual
`polycrystalline cutting elements are secured in the Solidified
`organic material layer. Each of the plurality of individual
`polycrystalline cutting elements has a Substantially match
`ing geometric configuration.
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`Page 1 of 18
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jul. 5, 2007 Sheet 1 of 6
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`US 2007/0155298 A1
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`KINIK EXHIBIT 1011
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jul. 5, 2007 Sheet 2 of 6
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`Patent Application Publication Jul. 5, 2007 Sheet 3 of 6
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`US 2007/0155298 A1
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`Patent Application Publication Jul. 5, 2007 Sheet 4 of 6
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`Patent Application Publication Jul. 5, 2007 Sheet 5 of 6
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jul. 5, 2007 Sheet 6 0f 6
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`US 2007/0155298 A1
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`Jul. 5, 2007
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`SUPERHARD CUTTERS AND ASSOCATED
`METHODS
`
`PRIORITY DATA
`0001. This application is a continuation-in-part of
`copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 1 1/357,713, filed
`Feb. 17, 2006, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional
`Patent Application Ser. No. 60/681,798, filed May 16, 2005;
`and is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent appli
`cation Ser. No. 11,223,786, filed Sep. 9, 2005; and is a
`continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent application
`Ser. No. 10/925,894, filed Aug. 24, 2004, all of which are
`hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to
`the extent they are consistent with the disclosure herein.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`0002 The present invention relates generally to cutting
`devices used to remove material from (e.g., plane, Smooth,
`polish, dress, etc.) workpieces formed of various materials.
`Accordingly, the present invention involves the fields of
`chemistry, physics, and materials science.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`0003. It is estimated that the semiconductor industry
`currently spends more than one billion U.S. Dollars each
`year manufacturing silicon wafers that exhibit very flat and
`Smooth surfaces. Typically, chemical mechanical polishing
`(“CMP) is used in the manufacturing process of semicon
`ductor devices to obtain smooth and even-surfaced wafers.
`In a conventional process, a wafer to be polished is generally
`held by a carrier positioned on a polishing pad attached
`above a rotating platen. As slurry is applied to the pad and
`pressure is applied to the carrier, the wafer is polished by
`relative movement of the platen and the carrier.
`0004 While this well-known process has been used suc
`cessfully for many years, it suffers from a number of
`problems. For example, this conventional process is rela
`tively expensive and is not always effective, as the silicon
`wafers may not be uniform in thickness, nor may they be
`Sufficiently smooth, after completion of the process. In
`addition to becoming overly “wavy’ when etched by a
`solvent, the surface of the silicon wafers may become
`chipped by individual abrasive grits used in the process.
`Moreover, if the removal rate is to be accelerated to achieve
`a higher productivity, the grit size used on the polishing pad
`must be increased, resulting in a corresponding increase in
`the risk of scratching or gouging expensive wafers. Further
`more, because Surface chipping can be discontinuous, the
`process throughput can be very low. Consequently, the wafer
`Surface preparation of current state-of-the-art processes is
`generally expensive and slow.
`0005. In addition to these considerations, the line width
`(e.g., nodes) of the circuitry on semiconductors is now
`approaching the virus domain (e.g., 10-100 nm). In addition,
`more layers of circuitry are now being laid down to meet the
`increasing demands of advanced logic designs. In order to
`deposit layers for making nanometer sized features, each
`layer must be extremely flat and Smooth during the semi
`conductor fabrication. While diamond grid pad conditioners
`have been effectively used in dressing CMP pads for pol
`ishing previous designs of integrated circuitry, they have not
`been found suitable for making cutting-edge devices with
`
`nodes smaller than 65 nm. This is because, with the decreas
`ing size of the copper wires, non-uniform thickness due to
`rough- or over-polishing will change the electrical conduc
`tivity dramatically. Moreover, due to the use of coral-like
`dielectric layers, the fragile structure must be polished very
`gently to avoid disintegration. Hence, the pressure used in
`CMP processes must be reduced significantly.
`0006.
`In response, new CMP processes, such as those
`utilizing electrolysis (e.g. Applied Materials ECMP) of
`copper or those utilizing air film cushion Support of wafer
`(e.g. Tokyo Semitsu), are being pursued to reduce the
`polishing pressure on the contact points between wafer and
`pad. However, as a consequence of gentler polishing action,
`the polishing rate of the wafer will decrease. To compensate
`for the loss of productivity, polishing must occur simulta
`neously over the entire surface of the wafer. In order to do
`so, the contact points between the wafer and the pad must be
`Smaller in area, but more numerous in frequency. This is in
`contrast to current CMP practice in which the contacted
`areas are relatively large but relatively few in number.
`0007 Thus, in order to polish fragile wafers more and
`more gently, the CMP pad asperities must be reduced.
`However, to prevent the polishing rate from declining, more
`contact points must be created. Consequently, the pad
`asperities need to be finer in size but more in number.
`However, the more delicate the polishing process becomes,
`the higher the risk of scratching the surface of the wafer
`becomes. In order to avoid this risk, the highest tips of all
`asperities must be fully leveled. Otherwise, the protrusion of
`a few "killer asperities’ can ruin the polished wafer.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`0008. The present invention provides a cutting device,
`including a base having a solidified organic material layer
`disposed thereon, and a plurality of individual polycrystal
`line cutting elements secured in the Solidified organic mate
`rial layer. Each of the plurality of individual polycrystalline
`cutting elements can have a matching geometric configura
`tion.
`0009. In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
`a cutting device is provided, including a base having a
`Solidified organic material layer attached thereto, and a
`plurality of individual polycrystalline cutting elements
`secured in the solidified organic material layer. Each of the
`plurality of individual polycrystalline cutting elements can
`include at least one cutting tip. The cutting tips of the cutting
`elements can be aligned in a common plane.
`0010. In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
`a method of forming a cutting device is provided, including:
`obtaining a Substrate; arranging on the Substrate a plurality
`of individual polycrystalline cutting elements, each of the
`plurality of individual polycrystalline cutting elements can
`have a matching geometric configuration; and securing each
`of the plurality of individual polycrystalline cutting elements
`to the substrate with a solidified organic material layer.
`0011. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, vari
`ous features of the invention so that the detailed description
`thereof that follows may be better understood, and so that
`the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
`Other features of the present invention will become clearer
`from the following detailed description of the invention,
`
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`taken with the accompanying exemplary claims, or may be
`learned by the practice of the invention.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`0012 FIG. 1A is a schematic, top plan view of a cutting
`device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
`0013 FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a portion of the
`cutting device of FIG. 1A:
`0014 FIG. 2A is a schematic, top plan view of a cutting
`device in accordance with another embodiment of the inven
`tion;
`0015 FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a portion of the
`cutting device of FIG. 2A;
`0016 FIG. 3A is a schematic, top plan view of a poly
`crystalline blank, and a cutting device including individual
`polycrystalline cutting elements formed from the blank, in
`accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
`0017 FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion of one
`cutting element of FIG. 3A, taken along section B-B of FIG.
`3A:
`0018 FIG. 4 is a schematic, top plan view of a polycrys
`talline blank, and a cutting device including individual
`polycrystalline cutting elements formed from the blank, in
`accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
`0019 FIG. 5 is a schematic, top plan view of another
`polycrystalline blank in accordance with an embodiment of
`the invention, shown with the blank divided into a series of
`individual cutting elements;
`0020 FIG. 6 is a schematic, top plan view of a cutting
`device including individual polycrystalline cutting elements
`formed from the blank of FIG. 5 in accordance with another
`embodiment of the invention;
`0021
`FIG. 7 is a schematic, top plan view of another
`cutting device, including the individual polycrystalline cut
`ting elements formed from the blank of FIG. 5 in accordance
`with another embodiment of the invention;
`0022 FIG. 8 is a schematic, top plan view of another
`polycrystalline blank in accordance with an embodiment of
`the invention, shown with the blank divided into a series of
`individual cutting elements;
`0023 FIG. 9 is a schematic, top plan view of a cutting
`device, including the individual polycrystalline cutting ele
`ments formed from the blank of FIG. 8 in accordance with
`another embodiment of the invention;
`0024 FIG. 10 is a schematic, top plan view of another
`cutting device, including the individual polycrystalline cut
`ting elements formed from the blank of FIG. 8 in accordance
`with another embodiment of the invention;
`0.025
`FIG. 11 is a schematic, top plan view of another
`polycrystalline blank in accordance with an embodiment of
`the invention, shown with the blank divided into a pair of
`individual cutting elements; and
`0026 FIG. 12 is a schematic, top plan view of a cutting
`device including the individual polycrystalline cutting ele
`ments formed from the blank of FIG. 11 in accordance with
`another embodiment of the invention.
`
`0027. It will be understood that the above figures are
`merely for illustrative purposes in furthering an understand
`ing of the invention. Further, the figures may not be drawn
`to Scale, thus dimensions, particle sizes, and other aspects
`may, and generally are, exaggerated to make illustrations
`thereof clearer. Therefore, departure can be made from the
`specific dimensions and aspects shown in the figures in order
`to produce the cutting devices of the present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`0028 Before the present invention is disclosed and
`described, it is to be understood that this invention is not
`limited to the particular structures, process steps, or mate
`rials disclosed herein, but is extended to equivalents thereof
`as would be recognized by those ordinarily skilled in the
`relevant arts. It should also be understood that terminology
`employed herein is used for the purpose of describing
`particular embodiments only and is not intended to be
`limiting.
`0029. It must be noted that, as used in this specification
`and the appended claims, the singular forms 'a'an' and
`“the include plural referents unless the context clearly
`dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a cutting
`element includes one or more of such elements.
`0030) Definitions
`0031. In describing and claiming the present invention,
`the following terminology will be used in accordance with
`the definitions set forth below.
`0032 All mesh sizes referred to herein are U.S. mesh
`unless otherwise indicated. Further, mesh sizes are generally
`understood to indicate an average mesh size of a given
`collection of particles since each particle within a particular
`"mesh size' may actually vary over a small distribution of
`S17S.
`0033. As used herein, “substantial,” or “substantially.”
`refers to the functional achievement of a desired purpose,
`operation, or configuration, as though Such purpose or
`configuration had actually been attained. Therefore, cutting
`edges or tips that are substantially aligned in a common
`plane function as though, or nearly as though, they were
`precisely aligned in Such a plane.
`0034) Furthermore, when used in an exclusionary con
`text, Such as a material “substantially lacking’ or being
`“substantially devoid of.” or “substantially free of an
`element, the terms “substantial and “substantially refer to
`a functional deficiency of the element to which reference is
`being made. Therefore, it may be possible that reference is
`made to a material in which an element is “substantially
`lacking,” when in fact the element may be present in the
`material, but only in an amount that is insufficient to
`significantly affect the material, or the purpose served by the
`material in the invention.
`0035. As used herein, a “common plane' refers to a
`profile, including planar or contoured profiles, above a base
`Surface with which the peaks or tips of cutting elements are
`to be aligned. Examples of Such profiles may include,
`without limitation, flat profiles, wavy profiles, convex pro
`files, concave profiles, multi-tiered profiles, and the like.
`0036) As used herein, cutting "edge” refers to a portion of
`a cutting element that includes some measurable width
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`across a portion that contacts and removes material from a
`workpiece. As an exemplary illustration, a typical knife
`blade has a cutting edge that extends longitudinally along
`the knife blade, and the knife blade would have to be
`oriented transversely to a workpiece to scrape or plane
`material from the workpiece in order for the cutting "edge”
`of the knife blade to remove material from the workpiece.
`0037 As used herein, cutting “tip” refers to a portion of
`a cutting element that protrudes the greatest distance from a
`bonding material, e.g., that is the first portion of the cutting
`element that contacts a workpiece when the article of the
`present invention is in use. It is to be understood that a
`cutting “tip” can include a planar Surface, a pointed Surface,
`or an edge; so long as the planar Surface, pointed Surface or
`edge of the cutting element is the first portion of the cutting
`element that contacts a workpiece from which material is to
`be removed with a cutting device to which the cutting
`element is attached.
`0038. As used herein, “sintering refers to the joining of
`two or more individual particles to form a continuous Solid
`mass. The process of sintering involves the consolidation of
`particles to at least partially eliminate Voids between par
`ticles. Sintering may occur in either metal or carbonaceous
`particles, such as diamond. Sintering of metal particles
`occurs at various temperatures depending on the composi
`tion of the material. Sintering of diamond particles generally
`requires ultrahigh pressures and the presence of a carbon
`Solvent as a diamond sintering aid, and is discussed in more
`detail below. Sintering aids are often present to aid in the
`sintering process and a portion of Such may remain in the
`final product.
`0039. As used herein, “superhard' may be used to refer
`to any crystalline, or polycrystalline material, or mixture of
`such materials which has a Mohr’s hardness of about 8 or
`greater. In some aspects, the Mohr’s hardness may be about
`9.5 or greater. Such materials include but are not limited to
`diamond, polycrystalline diamond (PCD), cubic boron
`nitride (cEN), polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) as
`well as other superhard materials known to those skilled in
`the art. Superhard materials may be incorporated into the
`present invention in a variety of forms including particles,
`grits, films, layers, etc. However, in most cases, the Super
`hard materials of the present invention are in the form of
`polycrystalline superhard materials, such as PCD and PcBN
`materials. It is important to note that distinctions are made
`in the present disclosure between conventional Superhard
`grits and polycrystalline Superhard materials.
`0040. As used herein, “geometric configuration” refers to
`a shape that is capable of being described in readily under
`stood and recognized mathematical terms. Examples of
`shapes qualifying as 'geometric configurations' include,
`without limitation, cubic shapes, polyhedral (including regu
`lar polyhedral) shapes, triangular shapes (including equilat
`eral triangles, isosceles triangles and three-dimensional tri
`angular shapes), pyramidal shapes, spheres, rectangles,
`"pie' shapes, wedge shapes, octagonal shapes, circles, etc.
`0041 As used herein, “organic material refers to a
`semisolid or Solid complex amorphous mix of organic
`compounds. As such, “organic material layer and “organic
`material matrix” may be used interchangeably, refer to a
`layer or mass of a semisolid or Solid complex amorphous
`mix of organic compounds. Preferably the organic material
`
`will be a polymer or copolymer formed from the polymer
`ization of one or more monomers.
`0042. As used herein, “particle' and “grit” may be used
`interchangeably.
`0043. As used herein, “cutting element” describes a vari
`ety of structures capable of removing (e.g., cutting) material
`from a workpiece. A cutting element can be a mass having
`several cutting points, ridges or mesas formed thereon or
`therein. It is notable that such cutting points, ridges or mesas
`may be from a multiplicity of protrusions or asperities
`included in the mass. Furthermore, a cutting element can
`also include an individual particle that may have only one
`cutting point, ridge or mesa formed thereon or therein.
`0044 As used herein, a plurality of items, structural
`elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be
`presented in a common list for convenience. However, these
`lists should be construed as though each member of the list
`is individually identified as a separate and unique member.
`Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed
`as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list
`solely based on their presentation in a common group
`without indications to the contrary.
`0045 Concentrations, amounts, particle sizes, volumes,
`and other numerical data may be expressed or presented
`herein in a range format. It is to be understood that Such a
`range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and
`thus should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the
`numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range,
`but also to include all the individual numerical values or
`Sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numeri
`cal value and Sub-range is explicitly recited.
`0046. As an illustration, a numerical range of “about 1
`micrometer to about 5 micrometers' should be interpreted to
`include not only the explicitly recited values of about 1
`micrometer to about 5 micrometers, but also include indi
`vidual values and Sub-ranges within the indicated range.
`Thus, included in this numerical range are individual values
`Such as 2, 3, and 4 and Sub-ranges such as from 1-3, from
`2-4, and from 3-5, etc. This same principle applies to ranges
`reciting only one numerical value. Furthermore, Such an
`interpretation should apply regardless of the breadth of the
`range or the characteristics being described.
`0047. The Invention
`0048. The present invention provides a cutting device and
`associated methods that can be utilized in cutting or other
`wise affecting a workpiece to remove material from the
`workpiece and provide a finished, Smooth and/or flat surface
`to the workpiece. Cutting devices of the present invention
`can be advantageously utilized, for example, as planing
`devices that plane material from a workpiece, as dressing
`devices that dress various workpieces, and as polishing
`devices that polish various workpieces.
`0049. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in
`FIGS. 1A and 1B, a cutting device (e.g., disk) 10a is
`provided that includes a base 12a that can have a solidified
`organic material layer (14 in FIGS. 1B and 2B) disposed
`thereon, attached thereto, or otherwise associated therewith.
`A plurality of individual polycrystalline cutting elements
`16a can be secured in the Solidified organic material layer.
`Each of the plurality of individual polycrystalline cutting
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`elements can have or exhibit a Substantially matching geo
`metric configuration, e.g., the geometric configuration of the
`cutting elements can Substantially match that of other of the
`cutting elements. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1B, each
`of the plurality of individual polycrystalline cutting elements
`16a has geometric configuration that is Substantially cubic in
`nature. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B, the indi
`vidual polycrystalline cutting elements 16b have a geometric
`configuration that can be characterized as a three-dimen
`sional triangular configuration.
`0050. As illustrated in both FIGS. 1B and 2B, in one
`aspect of the invention, the plurality of individual polycrys
`talline cutting elements 16a, 16b can include at least one
`cutting tip (18a and 18b, respectively), with the cutting tips
`of the cutting elements being aligned in a common plane
`(20a, 20b, respectively). In this example, the common plane
`is a flat plane of predetermined height above the solidified
`organic matrix. Thus, the plurality of individual polycrys
`talline cutting elements can be held within the solidified
`organic material layer in a very precise manner Such that
`each of the cutting elements contacts a workpiece (not
`shown) from which material is to be removed at substan
`tially the same depth. In this way, each of the individual
`polycrystalline cutting elements can be subject to Substan
`tially the same level of drag force as the cutting device is
`moved relative to a workpiece. This feature of the invention
`can advantageously limit the premature removal of indi
`vidual cutting elements that might otherwise shorten the life
`of the tool, and/or damage the workpiece being treated.
`0051. The individual cutting elements 16a, 16b can be
`formed from a variety of materials including, in one embodi
`ment, a polycrystalline material or a Superhard polycrystal
`line material. While not so limited, the superhard polycrys
`talline material can be a polycrystalline diamond compact
`(PCD) or a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride compact
`(“PcBN). The PCD or PcBN compact can be formed in a
`variety of manners, as discussed in more detail below. By
`forming the individual cutting elements from a polycrystal
`line material, and attaching the cutting elements individually
`to the cutting device, the beneficial properties of polycrys
`talline cutting elements can be achieved without requiring
`that portions of the cutting device not used for cutting also
`be formed from the polycrystalline material. Thus, consid
`erable cost savings can be achieved.
`0.052 The cutting devices of the present invention can be
`utilized in a number of applications, and in one embodiment
`are particularly well adapted for use in planing Substantially
`brittle materials, such as silicon wafers, glass sheets, metals,
`used silicon wafers to be reclaimed by planarization, LCD
`glass, LED substrates, SiC wafers, quartz wafers, silicon
`nitride, Zirconia, etc. In conventional silicon wafer process
`ing techniques, a wafer to be polished is generally held by
`a carrier positioned on a polishing pad attached above a
`rotating platen. As slurry is applied to the pad and pressure
`is applied to the carrier, the wafer is polished by relative
`movements of the platen and the carrier. Thus, the silicon
`wafer is essentially ground or polished, by very fine abra
`sives, to a relatively smooth Surface.
`0053 While grinding of silicon wafers has been used
`with some Success, the process of grinding materials such as
`silicon wafers often results in pieces of the material being
`torn or gouged from the body of the material, resulting in a
`
`less than desirable finish. This is due, at least in part, to the
`fact that grinding or abrasive processes utilize very sharp
`points of abrasive materials (which are often not level
`relative to one another) to localize pressure to allow the
`abrasives to remove material from a workpiece.
`0054) The PCD or PcBN cutting elements of the present
`invention are generally Superhard, resulting in little yielding
`by the cutting elements when pressed against a wafer. As
`hardness is generally a measure of energy concentration,
`e.g., energy per unit volume, the PCD or PcEBN compacts of
`the present invention are capable of concentrating energy to
`a very small Volume without breaking. These materials can
`also be maintained with a very sharp cutting edge due to
`their ability to maintain an edge within a few atoms.
`0055 While not so required, in one embodiment of the
`invention shown in FIG. 1A, the individual polycrystalline
`cutting elements 16a can be arranged across the base in a
`grid pattern, e.g., in a pattern of squares. The cutting
`elements can be evenly spaced from one another at a
`distance “d' of from about 100 microns to about 800
`microns. In one aspect of the invention, the individual
`polycrystalline cutting elements can be evenly spaced from
`one another at a distance “d of about 500 microns.
`0056.
`In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in
`FIG. 2A, the individual polycrystalline cutting elements 16b
`can be arranged across the base as a series of concentric
`circles. As in the embodiment discussed above, the indi
`vidual cutting elements can be evenly spaced from one
`another at a distance “d' of from about 100 microns to about
`800 microns. In one aspect, the individual polycrystalline
`cutting elements can be evenly spaced from one another at
`a distance “d of about 500 microns. By evenly spacing the
`individual cutting elements one from another, the drag force
`applied to the cutting elements during the cutting process
`can be evenly distributed among each of the cutting ele
`ments, eliminating or reducing the risk of premature pullout
`of one or more individual cutting elements. Premature
`pullout of one or more individual cutting elements can result
`in serious damage being done the workpiece being worked
`upon.
`0057 The retention of an individual polycrystalline cut
`ting element in an organic material layer can be greatly
`improved by arranging the cutting elements the organic
`material layer Such that mechanical stress impinging on any
`individual cutting element is minimized. By reducing the
`stress impinging on each individual cutting element they can
`be more readily retained in a solidified organic material
`layer, particularly for delicate tasks.
`0058 Various configurations or arrangements are con
`templated for minimizing the mechanical stress impinging
`on the cutting elements held in the abrading tool. In addition
`to the spacing considerations discussed above, one poten
`tially useful parameter may include the height that the
`elements protrude above the organic material layer. A cutting
`element that protrudes to a significantly greater height than
`other cutting elements will experience a greater proportion
`of the impinging mechanical forces and thus is more prone
`to pull out of the Solidified organic material layer. Thus, an
`even height distribution of the cutting elements may func
`tion to more effectively preserve the integrity of the abrading
`tool as compared to abrading tools lacking Such an even
`height distribution.
`
`Page 11 of 18
`
`KINIK EXHIBIT 1011
`
`

`

`US 2007/0155298 A1
`
`Jul. 5, 2007
`
`0059. As such, in one aspect, a majority of the plurality
`of individual cutting elements may protrude to a predeter
`mined height above the solidified organic material layer.
`Though any predetermined height that would be useful in an
`abrading or cutting tool would be considered to be within the
`presently claimed scope, in one specific aspect the prede
`termined height may produce a cutting depth of less than
`about 20 microns when used to abrade a workpiece. In
`another specific aspect, the predetermined height may pro
`duce a cutting depth of from about 1 micron to about 20
`microns when used to abrade a workpiece. In yet another
`specific aspect, the predetermined height may produce a
`cutting depth of from about 10 micron to about 20 microns
`when used to abrade a workpiece. In yet another aspect, the
`predetermined height may produce a depth of up to or more
`than 50 or 100 microns.
`0060. It should also be noted that the leveling of the
`individual cutting elements to a predetermined height may
`be dependent on cutting element spacing. In other words, the
`farther the cutting elements are separated, the more the
`impinging forces will affect each cutting element. As such,
`patterns with increased spacing between the cutting ele
`ments may benefit from a smaller variation from predeter
`mined height.
`0061. It may also be beneficial for the cutting elements to
`protrude from the Solidified organic material layer to a
`predetermined height or series of heights that is/are along a
`designated profile. Numerous configurations for designated
`profiles are possible, depending on the particular use of the
`abrading tool. In one aspect, the designated profile may be
`a plane. In planar profiles, the highest protruding points of
`the cutting elements are intended to be substantially level. It
`is important to point out that, though it is preferred that these
`points align with the designated profile, there may be some
`height deviation between cutting elements that occur due to
`limitations inherent in the manufacturing process.
`0062. In addition to planar profiles, in another aspect of
`the present invention the designated profile has a slope.
`Tools having sloping Surfaces may function to more evenly
`spread the frictional forces impinging thereon across the
`cutting elements, particularly for rotating tools such as disk
`sanders and CMP paddressers. The greater downward force
`applied by higher central portions of the tool may offset the
`higher rotational velocity at the periphery, thus reducing the
`mechanical stress experienced by cutting elements in that
`location. As such, the slope may be continuous from a
`central point of the tool to a peripheral point, or the slope
`may be discontinuous, and thus be present on only a portion
`of the tool. Similarly, a given tool may have a single