KR20040103634A - Conditioner assembly of CMP equipment to semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A conditioner assembly of a CMP apparatus for semiconductor wafer for improving a profile of a surface of a polishing pad is provided to prevent damage and deformation due to physical force applied from the polishing pad by using the first gimbal and the second gimbal. CONSTITUTION: A rotary shaft is rotatably supported by a conditioner head. The first gimbal(30a) having a shape of plate is fixed to an end part of the rotary shaft. The first gimbal is opposite horizontally to the polishing pad. The second gimbal is opposite to a bottom face of the first gimbal. A diamond disk is installed on a lower part of the second gimbal. A guide part is used for transmitting rotatory power to the second gimbal on the basis of the first gimbal and guiding the top/down sliding movement. An elastic bodies(36a,36b) are supported from the bottom face of the first gimbal and provides elastic force to a lower direction of the second gimbal. A clamp is supported by the first gimbal and is used for limiting the sliding distance to the lower direction of the second gimbal.

Description

Conditioner assembly of CMP equipment for semiconductor wafers

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a conditioner assembly of a CMP facility for a semiconductor wafer that allows to distribute the force acting on the conditioner to uniformly smooth its surface of the polishing pad to improve the uniform profile of the polishing pad surface.

In general, a semiconductor device is a process of selectively and repeatedly performing a process such as photographing, etching, diffusion, chemical vapor deposition, metal deposition, etc. on a wafer. A chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) process is performed to planarize the circuit pattern.

Polishing process through the CMP facility, by supplying the slurry from the top in the process of rotating the polishing pad at high speed, evenly distributed on the surface of the polishing pad, by placing the wafer close to the polishing pad in this state, the physical force of the high speed rotation And through the chemistry of the slurry.

In the above-described relationship, the polishing pad needs uniformity of its surface profile for uniform distribution of the slurry, so that the surface of the polishing pad is conditioned to refinish the surface after the progress of the polishing process or after the end of the process. Go through the process.

Herein, a conditioner assembly in charge of conditioning a polishing pad will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, in the conventional conditioner assembly configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, there is a conditioner head 10 supported by a robot arm R / A lying horizontally with respect to the polishing pad P, and this conditioner head ( 10 has a rotating shaft 12 that can be rotated through the lower side.

The above-described rotation shaft 12 receives a rotational force from a motor (not shown) provided in the conditioner head 10 or a timing belt extending from the other side of the robot arm R / A to a part protruding upward of the conditioner head 10. It is composed of (T / V) and driven pulley (D / P) to receive rotational force.

Further, the lower end of the rotation shaft 12 passes through the center hole ha of the gimbal 14 as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, and the fastening hole hb around the center hole ha. A diamond disk having a cutter (C) for smoothing the surface of the polishing pad (P) through the fastening hole (HB) of the edge portion of the gimbal 14 to form a coupling relationship through a fastener such as a bolt through It is combined with (16).

The outer portion of the gimbal 14 described above is sealed and covered by a cover 18 from the edge of the diamond disk 16 to the side of the rotation shaft 12, and the cover 18 is a fixture such as a bend or an adhesive. It is fixed by the usual method using (20).

On the other hand, the configuration of the gimbal 14 described above, as shown in Fig. 2, extends a plurality of bridges (B) having a width and a length around the portion to be coupled to the rotating shaft 12 in a thin plate shape, Sides of these bridges B form a shape bent downward, and each of the outer ends of these bridges B forms a shape in which they are connected to each other by a ring-shaped frame T.

The gimbal 14 of such a structure elastically supports the horizontality of the diamond disk 16 with respect to the rotating shaft 12 perpendicular | vertical corresponding to the polishing pad P, and supports the rotational force of the rotating shaft 12 to a diamond disk ( 16) to deliver.

At this time, the elastic support by the gimbal 14 is the difference in the physical force acting on each part of the diamond disk 16 in the course of polishing the surface of the polishing pad (P), that is, as shown in Figure 3, the polishing pad In the high-speed rotation of (P) and the high-speed rotation of the diamond disk 16 corresponding to the contact and the movement in the direction of the arrow (M, M ') in the direction of rotation in each of the parts around the axis of rotation 12 This is to keep the diamond disk 16 horizontal from the difference in physical force.

However, the elastic force corresponding to the difference in physical forces acting on the diamond disk is, as described above, by elastic deformation by the gimbal's bridges, but these bridges are limited in thickness and durability to form and maintain the elastic force. And breakage easily occurs.

This causes problems such as uneven finishing of the polishing pad as well as partial grinding excessively, thereby damaging or destroying the polishing pad, thereby resulting in poor wafer polishing.

On the other hand, it can be considered that the shape of the gimbal in the shape of a disk for the above-mentioned problem, but the elastic force is made to correspond to the physical force acting polarized around the rotation axis, so that the surface profile of the polishing pad is rather defective. Will result.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the problems according to the prior art described above, and to provide stable elastic support and rotational force to a diamond disk to prevent damage and breakage of the polishing pad surface and to form a uniform profile. To provide a conditioner assembly of a CMP facility for a semiconductor wafer to increase the uniformity of polishing on the wafer.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conditioner assembly in a conventional CMP plant configuration.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the gimbal illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically illustrating a physical action relationship between the diamond disk and the polishing pad shown in FIG. 1.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conditioner assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a planar state configuration diagram for explaining the coupling relationship between the first and second gimbals shown in FIG.

6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conditioner assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: conditioner head 12: axis of rotation

14: gimbal 16: diamond disc

18: Cover 20: Fixture

30a, 30b: first gimbal 32a, 32b: second gimbal

34, 46: guide parts 36a, 36b: elastic bodies

38, 48: clamp

A characteristic configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is a rotation axis rotatable from the support of the conditioner head; A first gimbal that is horizontally opposed to the polishing pad in a plate shape fixed to an end of the rotation shaft; A second gimbal that faces a bottom of the first gimbal and has a diamond disk at the bottom thereof; A guide unit for guiding a rotational force transmission and an upward and downward sliding movement with respect to the second gimbal based on the first gimbal; An elastic body receiving support from a bottom of the first gimbal and providing an elastic force to the second gimbal in a downward direction; And a clamp configured to receive the support of the first gimbal to limit the downward sliding movement distance of the second gimbal by the elastic body.

The guide portion may have an edge portion of the first gimbal in an uneven shape, and the second gimbal corresponding thereto may have a protrusion that is slidably inserted in an upward and downward direction in accordance with the uneven portion of the first gimbal. Can be made.

The configuration of the first gimbal may have a polygonal shape, and the first gimbal may be formed in a shape in which the first gimbal is slidably fitted in the upper and lower directions on an upper surface of the second gimbal.

In addition, the guide portion may be a guide shaft fixed to one of the first and second gimbals to stand up and down, and the other opposite to the guide shaft may form a hole or groove into which the end of the guide shaft may be inserted. It may be done.

The elastic body may be a compression coil spring, and the elastic body may be provided with one of them centered on the rotation shaft position, or a plurality of elastic bodies may be provided at equal intervals along the concentric positions from the centers of the first and second gimbals.

Hereinafter, a conditioner assembly of a CMP facility for a semiconductor wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a conditioner assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a coupling relationship between the first and second gimbals shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. As a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conditioner assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as in the prior art, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the conditioner assembly configuration of the CMP facility for semiconductor wafer according to the present invention, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, the end of the rotary shaft 12 that is rotatably supported from the conditioner head 10 to the extent that the elastic deformation is difficult Through the center hole (Ha) and the fastening hole (Hb) of the plate-shaped first gimbals (30a, 30b) and the first gimbals (30a, 30b) having a durable form a fixed coupling relationship in a conventional manner.

The first gimbals 30a and 30b fixed to the rotation shaft 12 are horizontally maintained corresponding to the surface of the polishing pad P whose bottom surface is selectively positioned.

In addition, second gimbals 32a and 32b having diamond disks 44a and 44b are disposed below the first gimbals 30a and 30b, and the second gimbals 32a and 32b are arranged in the first gimbal ( Supported by the guides 34 and 46 based on 30a and 30b, the rotational force of the rotary shaft 12 is transmitted and guided by the upward and downward sliding movement.

Further, between the first gimbals 30a and 30b and the second gimbals 32a and 32b, the support is supported by the bottoms of the first gimbals 30a and 30b so that the second gimbals 32a and 32b face downward. Elastic bodies 36a and 36b providing elastic force, and on the first gimbals 30a and 30b or the second gimbals 32a and 32b, the first gimbals 30a corresponding to the elastic forces of the elastic bodies 36a and 36b described above. 30b), the clamps 38 and 48 limit the downward sliding movement distance of the second gimbals 32a and 32b.

In addition, the above-described first gimbals 30a and 30b are placed in an airtight atmosphere by covers 42a and 42b covering from the outer edge sidewalls of the second gimbals 32a and 32b to the sidewalls of the rotation shaft 12. The covers 42a and 42b are in a fixed state by using a fixture 20 such as a bend or a fastener as in the prior art.

Looking at the structure of the guide part 34 shown in FIG. 4 or 5 among the implementation structures of the guide parts 34 and 46 among the above-mentioned structures, the edge part of the 1st gimbal 30a and 30b is an uneven | corrugated shape (here 5, the second gimbals 32a and 32b corresponding to the uneven portions of the first gimbals 30a and 30b are formed up and down. The protrusions may be formed at the edge portions of the second gimbals 32a and 32b to have shapes that are mutually slidably fitted (the guide grooves 40b corresponding to the protrusions 40a of FIG. 5). In the combination relationship of the guide part 34, the uneven shape of the edge portion of the first gimbal 30a, 30b described above forms the first gimbal 30a, 30b in a polygonal shape, and the second gimbal 32a, 32b. The protrusion shape of) may be included to correspond to the first gimbals 30a and 30b having a polygonal shape.

And as shown in FIG. 6, the guide part 46 of another implementation structure fixes the guide shaft so that it may stand in the up-down direction to any one gimbal among the 1st, 2nd gimbals 30b, 32b, Another gimbal opposite to the guide shaft may be formed by forming an insert or a hole in which the end of the guide shaft is insertable. In this case, preferably, the guide shaft is fixed to the upper surface of the second gimbal 32b, and on the first gimbal 30b corresponding thereto, the guide shaft penetrates and forms a slidable hole.

On the other hand, clamps 38 and 48 for limiting the lowering positions of the second gimbals 32a and 32b by the elastic bodies 36a and 36b among the configurations corresponding to the guide portions 34 and 46 described above are shown in FIG. As shown, it is fixed to the outside of the second gimbal (32a) to be in contact with the upper surface of the edge of the first gimbal (30a) or can be configured to limit the sliding position.

And in the structure shown in FIG. 6, the stopper, such as a nut or a pin, is provided in the upper end of the guide shaft fixed to the 2nd gimbal 32b and penetrated the 1st gimbal 30b, and this stopper is a 1st gimbal It can be comprised so that the fall position of the 2nd gimbal 32b may be restrict | limited from the position which contacts the upper surface of 30b.

On the other hand, the elastic body 36a, 36b mentioned above is made into a compression coil spring, as shown to FIG. 4 thru | or 6, and this is based on the center of the 1st, 2nd gimbal 30a, 30b, 32a, 32b. It may be made by configuring a plurality of arranged at equal intervals along the concentric circle position, or as shown in the dashed-dotted line in Figure 5, based on the center of the first and second gimbals 30a, 30b, 32a, 32b It may be provided in a single configuration having.

According to this configuration, the second gimbals 32a and 32b having the diamond disks 44a and 44b are provided with elastic forces by the elastic bodies 36a and 36b with respect to the first gimbals 30a and 30b without elastic deformation. As a result, the elastic force is continuously and stably maintained, and thus the finishing profile of the surface of the polishing pad can be stably maintained.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the first and second gimbals are firmly prevented from being damaged or deformed with respect to the physical force acting from the polishing pad, and their horizontality is made stable by the elastic bodies therebetween, so that the surface of the polishing pad is stable. The profile of the wafer is improved, and the uniformity of the wafer surface due to polishing is improved.

Although the present invention has been described in detail only with respect to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, and such modifications or changes belong to the claims of the present invention. something to do.

Claims (5)

A rotating shaft rotatable from the support of the conditioner head; A first gimbal that is horizontally opposed to the polishing pad in a plate shape fixed to an end of the rotation shaft; A second gimbal that faces a bottom of the first gimbal and has a diamond disk at the bottom thereof; A guide unit for guiding a rotational force transmission and an up / down sliding movement with respect to the second gimbal based on the first gimbal; An elastic body receiving support from a bottom of the first gimbal and providing an elastic force to the second gimbal in a downward direction; And And a clamp for receiving the support of the first gimbal and limiting a downward sliding movement distance of the second gimbal by the elastic body. The method of claim 1, The guide part is formed to have an edge portion of the first gimbal in an uneven shape, and the corresponding second gimbal is formed to have a protrusion having a shape that is slidably inserted in an up and down direction in accordance with the uneven portion of the first gimbal. And conditioner assembly of said CMP facility for semiconductor wafers. The method of claim 1, The said guide part is formed in the shape of a said 1st gimbal in polygonal shape, and is formed in the upper surface of a 2nd gimbal so that the said 1st gimbal may be provided with the protrusion part of the shape which can be slidably moved up and down. Conditioner assembly in wafer CMP facility. The method of claim 1, The guide portion is a guide shaft fixed to stand in any one of the first and second gimbals in the up and down direction, and the other opposite to the guide shaft is formed by forming a hole or groove into which the end of the guide shaft can be inserted And conditioner assembly of said CMP facility for semiconductor wafers. The method of claim 1, The elastic body is a compression coil spring, and one of them is provided around the axis of rotation axis or a plurality of equidistantly arranged along the concentric position from the center of the first and second gimbals, CMP facility for the semiconductor wafer Conditioner assembly.