KR101163874B1 - Chemical mechanical polishing system which enables to improve transfer efficiency between loading unit and unloading unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system, comprising: at least one polishing platen rotatably mounted with a platen pad mounted on an upper surface thereof; A guide rail installed along a first predetermined path; A substrate carrier unit having a rotary union used to move along the path with the substrate to be polished mounted on the polishing platen and to mount or pressurize the substrate; A first docking unit to which the substrate carrier unit is docked at a polishing position of the polishing plate to supply air pressure to the rotary union; A loading unit for loading the substrate into the substrate carrier unit; An unloading unit which unloads the substrate subjected to the polishing process from the polishing platen from the substrate carrier unit; A second docking unit which is docked to supply air pressure to the substrate carrier unit and moves with the substrate carrier unit in the loading unit and the unloading unit and a path therebetween; And the substrate is loaded / unloaded into the substrate carrier unit in the loading and unloading station, which takes a relatively short time after docking by a second docking unit capable of controlling only pneumatics in the loading and unloading stations. By providing a second docking unit to be in a docked state during the process, it provides a mobile chemical mechanical polishing system that can quickly perform the loading / unloading process of the substrate in a cyclic mobile chemical mechanical polishing process.

Description

TECHNICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING SYSTEM WHICH ENABLES TO IMPROVE TRANSFER EFFICIENCY BETWEEN LOADING UNIT AND UNLOADING UNIT}

The present invention relates to a chemical mechanical polishing system, and more particularly, a rotation in which a substrate carrier unit, which mounts a substrate and moves along a predetermined path, docks with a docking unit at a predetermined polishing position on a polishing plate to rotate and drive the substrate. The present invention relates to a chemical mechanical polishing system that can further improve the efficiency of a pneumatically supplied system that controls driving force and rotary union.

In general, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process is known as a standard process for polishing a surface of a substrate by relatively rotating between a substrate such as a wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor having a polishing layer and a polishing surface.

1-3 are schematic diagrams of conventional chemical mechanical polishing systems.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the chemical mechanical polishing system includes a polishing plate 10 which rotates with the polishing platen pad 16 and the backing pad 15 attached to the surface plate base 14 on the upper surface. A slurry supply unit for supplying the slurry 30a to the upper surface of the platen pad 16 and the substrate carrier unit 20 for pressing and rotating 22d at a lower side 22d 'with the substrate to be polished mounted thereto ( 30).

The polishing surface plate 10 is a rotational driving force by the motor 12 is transmitted to the rotation shaft 13 through the power transmission belt 11, the surface plate base 14 rotates together with the rotation shaft 13, the surface plate base On the upper surface of 14, a backing layer 15 made of a soft material and a polishing platen pad 16 are laminated.

The substrate carrier unit 20 includes a carrier head 21 for holding and mounting a substrate 55, a rotation shaft 22 integrally rotating with the carrier head 21, and a motor for rotationally driving the rotation shaft 22 ( 23, the pinion 24 fixed to the motor shaft and the gear 25 fixed to the rotation shaft 22, and the rotation shaft 22 to be rotatable so as to transmit the rotational driving force of the motor 23 to the rotation shaft 22. It consists of the drive stand 26 to accommodate, and the cylinder 27 which moves the drive stand 26 up and down, and presses the board | substrate 55 to the platen pad 16 below.

The chemical mechanical polishing system configured as described above is in contact with and rotates while the substrate 55 is pressed down to a position spaced apart from the center of rotation of the platen pad 16, and the platen pad 16 also rotates, thereby polishing the abrasive and the chemicals. When the slurry 30a is supplied to the platen pad 16 by the slurry supply pipe 30 for supplying the slurry, the groove pattern in the XY direction having a predetermined width and depth on the upper surface of the platen pad 16. As the slurry 30a flows into the contact surface between the substrate 55 and the platen pad 16, the surface of the substrate 55 is polished.

On the other hand, the configuration in which the substrate 55 is pressed downward on the platen pad 16 may be made by a rotary union that operates the fluid in response to the electrical signal, the configuration for this is Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2004- It is also shown in 75114.

Such a chemical mechanical polishing system may load and mount one substrate 55 on the carrier head 21 of the substrate carrier unit 20, and then polish one by one while adhering to the platen pad 16. As shown in Patent Publication No. 2005-12586, it may be configured to polish a plurality of substrates 55 at the same time.

That is, as shown in Figure 3, provided with a carrier carrier 40 rotatably installed around the rotation center 41 and branched into a plurality of branches, the ends 40A, 40B, When the substrate carrier unit 20 is installed in 40C, and the new substrates 55s and 55 'are mounted to the substrate carrier unit 20 by the substrate loading / unloading unit K, the carrier carrier 40 rotates. A chemical mechanical polishing system 1 configured to simultaneously polish a plurality of substrates mounted at the ends 40A, 40B, 40C of the substrate carrier unit 20 on respective polishing plates 10, 10 ', 10 "are used. It became.

However, the conventional chemical mechanical polishing system 1 shown in FIG. 3 can simultaneously polish a plurality of substrates 55 on a plurality of polishing plates 10, 10 ', 10 " Since each substrate carrier unit 20 located at the plurality of branch ends 40A, 40B, 40C must be supplied with electricity for driving the motor 23, the cylinder 27, or the rotary union, the electrical wiring connecting them is As extending along the branch, the electrical wiring is twisted with each other by the rotation of the carrier carrier 40, there is a problem that the operation of returning to the original position is essential to reduce the efficiency of the process.

In addition, since the electric wires are repeatedly twisted, the possibility of breakage of the fatigue wire may be high, and thus, the electric signal may not be stably supplied.

In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention, even if the substrate carrier unit on which the substrate is mounted moves in a circular path passing through several polishing plates, it is possible to prevent the twisting of the power supply electrical wiring for rotationally driving the substrate, SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a chemical mechanical polishing system capable of continuously polishing a plurality of polishing plates by receiving a pneumatic pressure for pressing or holding a substrate mounted on a substrate carrier unit and a rotation driving force for rotating the substrate.

In addition, the present invention does not require the rotational driving force for rotating the substrate to be mounted on the substrate carrier unit when mounting the substrate on the substrate carrier unit or unloading the substrate on which the polishing process is completed, and each substrate loading unit and the substrate unloading unit. The loading / unloading of the substrate after docking of the docking unit causes a delay of the process, and thus aims at eliminating the process delay.

Through this, the present invention aims to speed up the loading / unloading of the substrate and to prevent the manufacturing cost from rising due to excessive installation of the docking unit.

In order to achieve the object as described above, the present invention, the platen pad is mounted on the upper surface rotatably installed at least one; A guide rail installed along a predetermined path; A substrate carrier unit having a rotary union used to move along the path with the substrate to be polished mounted on the polishing platen and to mount or pressurize the substrate; A first docking unit to which the substrate carrier unit is docked at a polishing position of the polishing plate to supply air pressure to the rotary union; A loading unit for loading the substrate into the substrate carrier unit; An unloading unit which unloads the substrate subjected to the polishing process from the polishing platen from the substrate carrier unit; A second docking unit which is docked to supply air pressure to the substrate carrier unit and moves with the substrate carrier unit in the loading unit and the unloading unit and a path therebetween; It provides a chemical mechanical polishing system comprising a.

In this way, even if the substrate carrier unit on which the substrate is mounted moves in a circular path through several polishing plates, the substrate mounted on the substrate carrier unit is pressed to prevent twisting of the power supply wiring for rotationally driving the substrate. The gripping air pressure and the rotational driving force for rotating the substrate are supplied from the first docking unit to continuously polish a plurality of polishing plates.

First of all, the chemical mechanical polishing system according to the present invention does not need to rotate the substrate when mounting the substrate to the substrate carrier unit or unloading the substrate after the polishing process is completed, so that the substrate loading unit and the substrate unloading unit After docking the second docking unit which can control only the air pressure to the substrate carrier unit, the second docking unit is docked in the docked state during the loading / unloading process of the substrate, which takes a relatively short time. In the mechanical polishing step, the loading / unloading step of the substrate can be performed quickly.

The predetermined path along which the substrate carrier unit moves is arranged in a circular manner, so that the polishing process of the substrate can be continuously performed without interruption.

In addition, the guide rail may be formed in one continuous shape along a circulating path, but the guide rail may be formed in a plurality of sections, and a carrier holder may support the substrate carrier unit in the separated section. It can be configured to move. This minimizes the number of curved sections and enables a compact layout as a whole. To this end, the carrier holder is configured to be rotatable, and more preferably configured to be able to rotate at any one position.

On the other hand, according to another field of the invention, the present invention is a chemical mechanical polishing method for performing a polishing process by stopping the substrate carrier unit on which the substrate is mounted on the upper side of the polishing table while moving independently of each other along a predetermined path. Unloading the substrate in the unloading unit, which has finished polishing, with the second docking unit delivering air pressure to the substrate carrier unit docked; Moving the substrate carrier unit to the loading unit with the second docking unit docked; Mounting a substrate to be polished on the substrate carrier unit; Separating the second docking unit from the substrate carrier unit; A polishing step of moving the substrate carrier unit to polish the substrate mounted on an upper side of the polishing platen; It provides a chemical mechanical polishing method comprising.

At this time, the polishing step includes the step of polishing the first docking unit is docked to the substrate carrier unit is supplied with a rotational driving force and pneumatic pressure while rotating while pressing the substrate at the polishing position.

As described above, in the present invention, when the substrate is mounted on the substrate carrier unit or when the substrate is unloaded, the rotation driving force for rotating the substrate does not need to be mounted on the substrate carrier unit. The docking state of the second docking unit during the process of loading / unloading the substrate into the substrate carrier unit in a loading station and an unloading station which takes a relatively short time after docking of the second docking unit which can control only pneumatic at By following the process, the advantageous effect of quickly performing the loading / unloading process of the substrate in the cyclic transfer chemical mechanical polishing process is obtained.

In addition, the present invention provides a substrate mounted on the substrate carrier unit to prevent twisting of the power supply electrical wiring for rotationally driving the substrate even when the substrate carrier unit on which the substrate is mounted moves in a circular path passing through various polishing plates. Pneumatic pressure to press or gripping and rotational driving force for rotating the substrate can be supplied from the first docking unit to continuously polish a plurality of polishing counterparts.

In addition, the present invention not only improves productivity by allowing two or more substrates to be continuously polished along a circular path without interruption, but also fundamentally prevents twisting of electrical wiring in polishing two or more substrates simultaneously. This ensures reliable use without failure for a long time.

In addition, the present invention improves the efficiency of the process of simultaneously polishing a plurality of substrates by enabling control to move the plurality of substrates in only one direction without kinks such as electrical wiring.

In addition, the present invention includes a substrate carrier unit that waits for the next process while the substrate is being polished on the polishing table, as the present invention includes more substrate carrier units than the number of polishing plates, so that the polishing table has no rest. The ability to continuously polish the substrate can further improve productivity.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a conventional general mechanical mechanical polishing system
FIG. 2 is a detailed view showing the structure of the polishing table and carrier unit of FIG.
Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1
4 and 5 are plan views showing the arrangement of a chemical mechanical polishing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view along the cutting line AA of FIG. 6. FIG.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of part 'X' of FIG. 5;
9 is a cutaway perspective view of the substrate carrier unit of FIG.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a second docking unit moving in a portion 'Y' of FIG. 5.
11A and 11B are schematic views showing the action of the carrier holder in the 'Z' portion of FIG.

Hereinafter, a chemical mechanical polishing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

4 and 5 are plan views showing the arrangement of a chemical mechanical polishing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the cutting line VI-VI of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a cutting line AA of FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of part 'X' of FIG. 5, FIG. 9 is a cutaway perspective view of the substrate carrier unit of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a configuration of a second docking unit moving in part 'Y' of FIG. 5. 11A and 11B are schematic views showing the action of the carrier holder in the portion 'Z' of FIG.

As shown in the figure, the chemical mechanical polishing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the platen pad is mounted on the upper surface and a plurality of polishing table 110 is fixed to the frame 10 rotatably and A substrate carrier unit 120 and a substrate carrier unit having a rotary union 123 installed therein, the substrate 55 being moved in a state where the substrate 55 is mounted on the lower portion so as to polish the mounted substrate 55 on the polishing plate 110. Guide rails 132R and 134R for moving or gripping 120 along a predetermined path 130 and platen pads for chemical polishing processes when substrate 55 is being polished while rotating on polishing platen 110. A slurry supply unit (not shown) for supplying a slurry to the bed, a conditioner (not shown) for spreading the slurry supplied by the slurry supply unit on the platen pad, and a substrate carrier unit located in the path 130 ( To 120) Substrate loading unit 170 for supplying the substrate 55 subjected to the rough process, and substrate unloading for unloading the substrate 55 that has been polished by the substrate carrier unit 120 and finished on the polishing surface 110. When the unit 160 and the substrate carrier unit 120 are in the polishing position on the polishing platen 110, pneumatic pressure is supplied to the rotary union 123 of the substrate carrier unit 120 to rotate the mounted substrate 55. The first docking unit 180 docked to the substrate carrier unit 120 to transmit the rotational driving force, and the substrate 55 to which the substrate carrier unit 120 is to be polished in the substrate loading unit 170 is mounted or unloaded. And a second docking unit 140 docked to the substrate carrier unit 120 to supply the pneumatic pressure necessary to unload the polished substrate 55 in the unit 160.

The polishing plate 110 is fixed to the frames 10 ', 10 "; 10 so as to be rotatable to polish a substrate 55 such as a wafer, and a platen pad for polishing the substrate 55 is provided on the top layer. A lower backing layer of a softer material is interposed therebetween so that the polishing plate 10 shown in FIG. 3 is identical to or similar to the individual structure.

Here, the polishing plate 110 is arranged in plural number on the first path 132 of the circular path 130 consisting of paths arranged in a straight line, not continuous to each other. As shown in FIG. 5, in the first path 132, the substrate carrier unit 130 is operated to polish on the polishing plate 110 while moving the substrate 55 in only one direction (right direction). In this way, the polishing process of the substrate 55 is performed while the substrate 55 to be polished moves uniformly in only one direction, thereby improving the efficiency of the process.

When the conditioner is supplied with slurry on the platen pad of the polishing plate 110 from the slurry supply unit, the conditioner performs a sweep motion, so that the slurry on the platen pad is spread evenly and evenly. In this way, the slurry supplied while the substrate 55 mounted on the carrier head 121 contacts the platen pad and performs relative rotational movement with each other can be supplied to the substrate 55 in a uniform and sufficient amount.

The slurry supply unit supplies a slurry on the platen pad of the polishing plate 110. When the polishing process is performed with two or more kinds of slurry in polishing the substrate 55, different polishing plate 110 is provided. Polishing is performed at. To this end, the slurry supplied on the polishing surface 110 is not all supplied in the same kind, and according to the polishing process of the substrate 55, appropriate slurry is sequentially selected and supplied on the platen pad.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the circular path 130 is formed between two rows of first paths 132 passing through the plurality of polishing plates 110 and two rows of first paths 132. And a third path 134 arranged in parallel with the first path 132 and a pair of second paths 131 and 133 arranged at both ends of the first path 132 and the third path 134. . Here, the first path 132 is determined by the first guide rail 132R, the second paths 131 and 133 are defined by the second guide rail 131R (not shown), and the third path 134 ) Is determined by the third guide rail 134R.

Here, each of the paths 131-134 is arranged in an unconnected form, but the carrier holder 190 is positioned at the segmented position Y of these paths as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. The substrate carrier unit 120 is transported by the distance c not connected to the guide rails 131R-134R.

To this end, taking the carrier holder 190 shown in FIG. 11A as an example, the carrier holder 190 may linearly move 190d along an extension line of the first path 132 and extend the second path 131. It can be linearly moved along the line and installed so as to rotate 190r at one place. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11A, the substrate carrier unit 120 is to move from the first guide rail 132R of the first path 132 to the second guide rail 131R of the second path 131. In this case, the carrier holder 190 arrives at the end of the first path 132 in advance and the substrate is transferred from the first guide rail 132R of the first path 132 to the holder guide rail 190R of the carrier holder 190. The carrier holder 190 is moved. Then, after the carrier holder 190 is rotated by 90 degrees, the carrier holder 190 moves linearly to align the second guide rail 131R and the holder guide rail 190R of the second path 131. In this manner, the substrate carrier unit 120 may travel between the guide rails 131R and 132R spaced apart from each other.

As such, as the carrier holder 190 is configured to carry the substrate carrier unit 120 with spaced guide rails, the chemical mechanical polishing apparatus shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be configured in a more compact structure. .

At this time, when the substrate carrier unit 120 moves in the circular path 130, it is more effective to control the movement of the substrate carrier unit 120. The first docking unit 180 described later is more effective in controlling the movement of the substrate carrier unit 120. It is also advantageous in terms of arrangement. To this end, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the carrier holder 190 includes a first guide rail 132R and a third guide rail 134R defining a first path 132 and a third path 134. There is provided a pair of holder guide rails 190R having the same dimensions and spacing.

On the other hand, in the conveying system of the chemical mechanical polishing apparatus according to the present invention, the second paths 131 and 133 vertically spaced apart from them are separated from both ends of the first path 132 and the third path 134. Although it is in the state, the substrate carrier unit 120 by the transport of the carrier holder 190 is able to travel in both directions to the path (131, 132: 131, 134; 133, 132; 133, 134) spaced from each other, the circular path Since the board | substrate carrier unit 120 can be moved also in the sharp vertex path | route part of the direction change part of 130, it becomes possible to arrange | position the circular path 130 in a rectangle, a triangle, etc. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the third guide rail 134R for guiding the third path 134 may be closely arranged without being spaced apart from the first guide rail 132R for guiding the first path 132. have. That is, it becomes possible to manufacture the path | route of the board | substrate carrier unit 120 compactly.

The substrate carrier unit 120 is controlled to move along the path 130 with various components 123-127 fixed in the casing 122, and the plurality of substrate carrier units 120 independently control movement of the substrate carrier unit 120. do.

In addition, since the substrate carrier unit 120 moves along the circulation path 130, the substrate carrier unit 120 moves along the guide rails 132R and 134R arranged in a straight line on both sides of the substrate carrier unit 120. The unit 120 is always stably supported and can move.

Each substrate carrier unit 120 has a carrier head 121 for holding the substrate 55 and a rotary force for pressing in the plate surface direction of the substrate 55 while allowing the substrate 55 to rotate as shown in FIG. 9. Power consisting of the union 123, the driven hollow rotary shaft 124 receiving the rotational driving force from the first docking unit 180, and the shaft, gears, etc. to transmit the rotational driving force transmitted to the driven hollow rotating shaft 124 A transfer gear 125, a driven gear 126 provided on a rotational axis of the carrier head 121 to drive the carrier head 121 to rotate by a rotational driving force transmitted by the power transmission element 125, and a substrate; The carrier unit 120 is rotatably installed at the upper and lower sides of both sides, and a guide roller 127 for receiving the guide rails 132R, 134R, 135R, and 136R in the space therebetween, and a substrate carrier based on the principle of the linear motor. N-pole permanent magnet (1) on the upper surface to move the unit 120 28n) and the S-pole permanent magnets 128s are composed of permanent magnet strips 128 alternately arranged.

Here, the rotary union 123 is configured similarly to the configuration and operation shown in the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2004-75114.

Meanwhile, the frame 10 has a first guide rail 132R of the first path 132 and a third guide rail 134R of the third path 134 and a second guide rail of the second paths 131 and 133. 131R and 133R are fixed. At this time, the guide rails 132R-134R are connected and fixed by the bracket 30G extending downward from the frame.

The permanent magnet strip 128 formed on the case 122 of the substrate carrier unit 120 and the substrate carrier unit 120 may move along the first path 132 and the third path 134. Coils 90 are arranged along the directions of the paths 132 and 133 at spaced apart positions, thereby controlling the strength and direction of the current applied to the coils 90 to interact with the coils 90 and the permanent magnet strip. The substrate carrier unit 120 is moved by the guide rails 131R-134R along the paths 131-134 by the operating principle of the linear motor.

In order to move the substrate carrier unit 120 to the carrier holder 190 carrying the substrate carrier unit 120, the carrier holder 190 spaced apart from the permanent magnet strip (not shown) of the substrate carrier unit 120. Coil 90 is arranged on the upper side. Therefore, by controlling the strength and direction of the current applied to the coil of the carrier holder 190 by the interaction of the coil 90 and the permanent magnet strip, the substrate carrier unit 120 is connected to the carrier holder (the principle of operation of the linear motor). 190 may be loaded or discharged.

In the guide rails 132R and 134R accommodated between the upper guide roller 127U and the lower guide roller 127L of the substrate carrier unit 120, as shown in FIG. 9, in order to implement a more quiet movement. Rubber sound insulation rails G and G 'are attached to ends of the guide rails 132R, 134R, 135R, and 136R in contact with the guide rollers 127U, 127L;

The first docking unit 180 is fixed to the frame 10 as shown in FIG. 8, and when the substrate carrier unit 120 reaches the predetermined polishing position on the polishing plate 110, the substrate It is docked to the carrier unit 120 to supply the rotational driving force for rotating the substrate 55 and the pneumatic pressure required by the rotary union 123. To this end, the first docking unit 180 is a docking motor 181 for driving to release the docking state by docking or moving away from the substrate carrier unit 120, the lead screw (rotated by the docking motor 181 ( 182 and a moving block 183 having a female screw portion engaged with the lead screw 182 and installed to suppress rotation, and moving in the direction indicated by reference numeral 185d in accordance with the rotation of the lead screw 182, and a moving block ( 183 is coupled to the support body 184 to move integrally with the movement of the moving block 183, the rotation drive motor 185 is fixed to the support body 184 to generate a rotational drive force, the rotation drive motor 185 Coupling shaft 186 rotating in conjunction with the rotation of the) and the rotary joint 123 of the substrate carrier unit 120 connected to move with the support body 184 to transfer the pneumatic pressure through the pneumatic supply pipe 187a Multiple installed pneumatic connections 187).

As shown in FIG. 8, since the substrate carrier unit 120 is not provided with a driving source for generating rotational driving force or for generating pneumatic pressure, the substrate carrier unit 120 performs a polishing process of the substrate 55 mounted on the substrate carrier unit 120. In order to do so, these driving forces and pneumatics must be supplied. Therefore, when the substrate 55 mounted on the substrate carrier unit 120 reaches the predetermined upper position of the polishing platen 110, the polishing platen 110 moves upwards and the platen pad of the polishing platen 110. The substrate 55 is in contact with each other.

When the docking motor 181 of the first docking unit 180 rotates in the forward direction, the moving block 183 whose rotation is constrained according to the rotation of the lead screw 182 moves toward the substrate carrier unit 120. In response to the movement of the moving block 183, the support body 183, the rotation drive motor 185 and the coupling shaft 186 coupled thereto move against the substrate carrier unit 120 together, thereby coupling the coupling shaft 186. ) Is accommodated at a predetermined interval inside the driven hollow rotation shaft 124, the pneumatic connector 187 is in a docking state that is fitted to the pneumatic receiving port (123X) of the substrate carrier unit.

Here, the outer circumferential surface of the coupling shaft 186, the N-pole permanent magnets and S-pole permanent magnets are alternately arranged by 6 to 12, and the N-pole permanent magnet and S-pole permanent magnets also on the inner circumferential surface of the driven hollow rotating shaft 124 The magnets are alternately arranged in approximately 6-12 pieces. Accordingly, when the coupling shaft 186 rotates, the driven shaft is driven by the interaction between the permanent magnets arranged on the inner circumferential surface of the driven hollow rotation shaft 124 and the magnetic force of the permanent magnets arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the coupling shaft 186. The rotational driving force is transmitted to the hollow rotating shaft 124 is rotated together. That is, the coupling shaft 186 in which the N-pole permanent magnet and the S-pole permanent magnet are alternately arranged on the outer circumferential surface and the driven hollow rotating shaft in which the N-pole permanent magnet and the S-pole permanent magnet are alternately arranged on the inner circumferential surface ( As the 124 forms a magnetic coupling, the rotation driving force generated by the rotation driving motor 185 is transmitted to the substrate carrier unit 120. The rotational driving force transmitted to the substrate carrier unit 120 is transmitted to the transmission gear 125b via the pinion 125a and the worm gear box 125w that rotate together with the driven hollow rotation shaft 124, and the substrate 55. The carrier head 121 is mounted to be rotated.

As such, the substrate carrier unit 120 is strictly in a predetermined position by using the magnetic couplings 124 and 186 in transmitting the rotational driving force of the rotational drive motor 185 to the substrate carrier unit 120. Even if there is a mismatch and a slight position error, the rotational driving force is transmitted through the non-contact magnetic couplings 124 and 186, so that the position control of the substrate carrier unit 120 can be made easier, and the substrate carrier unit ( An advantage of stably transmitting the rotational driving force generated outside of the 120 into the substrate carrier unit 120 is obtained.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the invention, the substrate carrier unit 120 is provided with a drive motor, the first docking unit 180 does not transmit the rotational driving force in the docked state to the substrate carrier unit 120, It can also supply only electrical signals such as power and control signals. This also prevents twisting of the electrical wiring.

At the same time, when the pneumatic connector 187 of the first docking unit 180 is fitted into the pneumatic receiving opening 123X of the substrate carrier unit 120, respectively (in the drawing, the pneumatic delivery tube inside the substrate carrier unit 120 is Although not shown) through the pneumatic supply pipe (187a) is supplied to each of the plurality of hydraulic ports (123a) of the rotary union (123). As shown in FIG. 8, since the pneumatic pressure must be supplied to the rotary union 123 according to the height, the pneumatic supply pipe 187a and the pneumatic connection port 187 are connected as many as the number of the pneumatic accommodation ports 123X at once. Pneumatic pressure from the outside is supplied to the rotary union 123.

When the substrate carrier unit 120 finishes the polishing process of the substrate 55 mounted at the predetermined position, the docking motor 181 is driven to rotate in the opposite direction so that the first docking unit 180 and the substrate carrier unit ( The docking state with 120 is released. Subsequently, the substrate carrier unit 120 moves to the polishing surface to be subjected to the next polishing process, or the substrate of the second path 131 is passed through the second path 133 and the third path 134 when all polishing processes are completed. It is moved to the unloading unit 160.

The second docking unit 140 needs to adjust the pneumatic pressure when mounting a new substrate 55 to be polished on the substrate carrier unit 120, and likewise, pneumatic pressure when unloading the substrate 55 on which the polishing process is completed. Because of the need for adjustment, the substrate 55 is docked for pneumatic control of the rotary union 123 during the loading and unloading process.

The first docking unit 180 performs only the movement of docking or undocking when the substrate carrier unit 120 is located at the polishing position, whereas the second docking unit 140 has the substrate unloading unit of the substrate carrier unit 120. The difference is that the docking is disengaged after docking at the position of 160 and moving with the substrate carrier unit 120 to mount a new substrate 55 at the position of the substrate loading unit 170.

In addition, since the second docking unit 140 does not need to rotate the substrate 55, only the pneumatic connector 142a for supplying air pressure to the rotary union 123 is provided, and the pneumatic connector 142a is provided with the substrate carrier unit. Pneumatic pressure adjusted by being connected to the pneumatic receiving port 123X of 120 is supplied to the rotary union 123.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the second docking unit 140 is formed to contact the pneumatic receiving opening 123X of the substrate carrier unit 120 and the pneumatic receiving opening of the substrate carrier unit 120 ( Rotary plate which connects the connection plate 141 provided with the pneumatic connection port 142a connected to 123X, and the pneumatic connection port 142a of the connection plate 141 to a pneumatic receiving port 123X, and locks it so that pneumatic leakage may not be carried out. The moving body 143 is arranged along a moving path of the cylinder 142, the moving body 143 fixing the connection plate 141, and the substrate unloading unit 160 and the substrate loading unit 170. A linear guide rail 144 for guiding the guide, a fixed body 145 for fixing the linear guide rail 144, and an air cylinder 146 fixed to the fixed body 145 to drive the movement of the moving body 143. It consists of.

That is, when the pneumatic connector 142a is firmly connected to the pneumatic receiving port 123X of the substrate carrier unit 120 by the rotary cylinder 142, the pneumatic pressure is supplied to the rotary union 123 through the pneumatic supply pipe (not shown). A plurality of hydraulic pressure ports 123a are respectively supplied. In addition, the second docking unit 140 is docked to the substrate carrier unit 120 and moves together from the substrate unloading unit 160 to the substrate loading unit 170. Through this, docking is performed in a loading / unloading process of a substrate which does not take a long time such as a polishing process, thereby preventing the efficiency of the process from being lowered.

4 and 5, the operating principle of the substrate transport system of the chemical mechanical polishing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

Step 1 : First, in a state in which the second docking unit 140 is docked to the substrate carrier unit 120, pneumatic pressure is adjusted to the rotary union 123 of the substrate carrier unit 120 so that the substrate ( 55).

Step 2 : Then, between the second path 131 and the third path 134 in which the guide rails 131R-134R are segmented, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the carrier holder 190 is mounted. The substrate carrier unit 120 moves from the second path 131 to the third path 134. As the carrier holder 190 is rotatable in one place and the holder guide rail 190R is formed at a width and an interval aligned with the third guide rail 134R of the third path 134, the substrate carrier unit 120 Is smoothly moved from the second path 131 to the segment position Y of the first path 132 without impact.

Step 3 : By regulating the current flowing in the coil 90 (not shown) fixed to the frame 10 and the carrier holder 190, the substrate carrier unit 120 is connected to the third path 134 and the third path by the linear motor principle. After the two paths 133 are sequentially moved to the first path 132, the first polishing plate P1 is firstly polished.

When it is detected that the substrate carrier unit 120 has reached the first polishing plate P1, the docking motor 181 of the first docking unit 180 may operate, and thus the substrate carriage unit 120 may have a first docking unit ( 180 is moved and docked in the direction indicated by 185d. Accordingly, the substrate carriage unit 120 is in a state in which the rotational driving force of the rotation driving motor 185 can be transmitted, and at the same time, the pneumatic pressure of the first docking unit 180 is supplied to the rotary union 123 to supply the substrate 55. ) Can be pressed downward toward the platen pad. Therefore, in the substrate carrier unit 120, there is no driving source capable of rotating the substrate 55 and a supply source for supplying air pressure to the rotary union 123, but the first polishing plate (dock) is docked by the docking of the first docking unit 180. The chemical mechanical polishing process of the substrate 55 mounted in I) is performed.

Step 4 : Depending on the type of substrate, a polishing process is performed on one or a plurality of polishing tables, such as the first polishing table P1, the second polishing table P2, the third polishing table P3 ... On the other hand, although not shown in the drawings, according to another embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the substrate carrier unit 120 being polished in the polishing platen 110, a substrate carrier unit waiting is prepared, Polishing efficiency can be improved.

For reference, a check valve for opening and closing the pressure of the rotary union 123 is provided inside the substrate carrier unit 120, and the pressure of the rotary union 123 can be kept constant by closing the check valve. The substrate carrier unit 120 may move in a state where the substrate 55 is mounted even when the substrate carrier unit 120 is not docked.

Step 5 : Then, when the polishing process of the substrate 55 is finished, the substrate carrier unit 120 reaches the end of the first path 132 through the current control of the coil 90 on the first path 132. do. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the carrier holder 190 causes the substrate carrier unit 120 to move from the first path 132 to the second path 131.

Step 6 : The substrate carrier unit 120 that reaches the second path 131 unloads the substrate on which the polishing process is completed, in the substrate unloading unit 160. To this end, when the connecting plate 141 approaches the pneumatic receiving opening 123X of the substrate carrier unit 120 by the operation of the air cylinder 146 of the second docking unit 140, the pneumatic pressure of the connecting plate 141 When the connector 142a contacts the pneumatic receiving opening 123X of the substrate carrier unit 120, the rotary cylinder 142 is operated so that the pneumatic connecting port 142a of the second docking unit 140 is connected to the rotary union 123. The container 123a is completely docked to supply air pressure without leakage. In this docking state, when a substrate gripper (not shown) approaches the substrate 55, the substrate 55 is gripped by the gripper while the pneumatic pressure is adjusted to be unloaded from the substrate carrier unit 120.

Then, a current is applied to the coil 90 to move the substrate carrier unit 120 to the substrate unloading unit 170 along the second path 131. In this process, the substrate carrier unit 120 is docked with the second docking unit 140. In addition, when the new substrate 55 is supplied from the substrate unloading unit 170, the pneumatic pressure is adjusted through the second docking unit 140 to load the substrate 55 into the substrate carrier unit 120.

Then, the second docking unit 140 is released from the docking state with the substrate carrier unit 120, and then to the substrate unloading unit 160 to unload the substrate 55 of the substrate carrier unit 120. Move.

Steps 1 to 6 are repeated for a continuous polishing process of the substrate.

As described above, the substrate carrier unit 120 includes a substrate 55 in which the substrate 55 is attached to the substrate carrier unit 120 in the substrate loading unit 170 or the substrate 55 in which the polishing process is completed in the substrate unloading unit 160. The unloading process from this does not require rotational drive means for rotating the substrate 55. That is, the substrate loading unit 170 and the substrate unloading unit 120 only need pneumatic control for mounting and detaching the substrate 55. Therefore, the chemical mechanical polishing system 100 according to the present invention docks the second docking unit 140 capable of supplying controlled pneumatics to the substrate carrier unit 120 and also takes a relatively short time compared to the polishing process. By keeping the second docking unit docked to the substrate carrier unit 120 during the loading / unloading process of the substrate, the time required for docking for pneumatic supply in the loading / unloading process of the substrate can be shortened. Therefore, the loading / unloading of the substrate can be performed in a shorter time while preventing the pneumatic supply line, the electric wiring, etc. from being twisted in the cyclically movable chemical mechanical polishing process.

In the above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described by way of example, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and may be appropriately changed within the scope described in the claims. That is, in the accompanying drawings and the above-described embodiment, only the configuration in which the carrier holder 190 travels the substrate carrier unit 120 in the section between the second path 131 and the first path 132 spaced apart from each other is illustrated as an example. In addition, it is apparent to those skilled in the art through the above-described embodiments that the paths spaced apart from each other in various shapes and arrangements can be communicated with each other using the carrier holder 190. In addition, in the embodiment of the accompanying drawings, the path of the substrate carrier unit 120 is taken as an example, the movable chemical mechanical polishing system according to the present invention is a curve or a straight line and the curve of the movement path of the substrate carrier unit 120 It is also possible to configure in various forms, such as mixed forms of.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100: chemical mechanical polishing system 110: polishing table
120: substrate carrier unit 130: circulation path
140: second docking unit 160: substrate unloading unit
170: substrate loading unit 180: first docking unit

Claims (11)

A polishing platen on which a platen pad is mounted and rotatably installed;
A substrate carrier unit having a rotary union for moving the substrate to be polished on the polishing platen and mounting the substrate to be plated by pneumatic pressure;
A guide rail provided along a first path arranged such that the substrate carrier unit passes above the polishing platen;
A loading unit for loading the substrate to be polished into the substrate carrier unit;
An unloading unit which unloads the substrate subjected to the polishing process from the polishing platen from the substrate carrier unit;
Docked to the substrate carrier unit to be in a state capable of supplying air pressure to the rotary union, and move together with the substrate carrier unit in a section between the loading unit and the unloading unit, which is part of the first path; A second docking unit;
Chemical mechanical polishing system comprising a.
The method of claim 1,
When the substrate carrier unit reaches the polishing position of the polishing platen, the substrate carrier unit is docked to the substrate carrier unit to supply air pressure to the rotary union, and when the polishing process at the polishing platen ends, the docking state with the substrate carrier unit is released. A first docking unit;
The substrate carrier unit may be docked with the first docking unit to supply air pressure when the substrate carrier unit reaches the polishing position on the upper side of the polishing platen, and when the polishing process is completed, the first docking state and the docking state are released to release the first A chemical mechanical polishing system characterized by moving along a path.
The method of claim 2,
And the first docking unit transmits a rotational driving force to rotate the substrate on the polishing surface.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And the first path through which the substrate carrier unit moves is circulating.
The method of claim 4, wherein
The guide rail is formed in a plurality of sections are separated form, the chemical mechanical polishing system, characterized in that the carrier holder moves the substrate carrier unit in the separated section.
6. The method of claim 5,
And the carrier holder is configured to rotate in one position.
The method of claim 3,
And the guide rail guides the substrate carrier unit from both sides.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And the polishing table is arranged in plural along the first path.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And the substrate carrier unit is plural, the polishing platen is plural, and the substrate carrier unit moves independently of each other along the first path.
A chemical mechanical polishing method in which a substrate carrier unit on which a substrate is mounted moves along a first predetermined path and stops on an upper side of the polishing plate to perform a polishing process.
The second docking unit for loading a substrate to be polished into the substrate carrier unit or unloading the polished substrate from the substrate carrier unit to the substrate carrier unit is docked to the substrate carrier unit. Unloading, in the unloading unit, the substrate which has been polished while maintaining;
Moving the substrate carrier unit to the loading unit with the second docking unit docked;
Mounting a substrate to be polished on the substrate carrier unit;
Separating the second docking unit from the substrate carrier unit;
A polishing step of moving the substrate carrier unit to polish the substrate mounted on an upper side of the polishing platen;
Chemical mechanical polishing method.
The method of claim 10, wherein the polishing step,
And a first docking unit docked to the substrate carrier unit to supply rotational driving force and pneumatic pressure to polish the substrate while pressing and rotating the substrate at the polishing position.

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