KR20220026783A - Retainer ring - Google Patents

Abstract

A retainer ring according to one embodiment comprises: an upper part which includes a body unit formed of a ring shape, an accommodation groove recessed on a lower surface of the body unit, and a fastening groove recessed on an inner side of the accommodation groove; and a lower part which includes a plate unit, an insertion unit that protrudes from an upper surface of the plate unit and is inserted into the accommodation groove, and a fastening protrusion that protrudes from an outer surface of the insertion unit and is inserted into the fastening groove. The retainer ring stably can prevent the lower part from the upper part.

Description

retainer ring {RETAINER RING}

The example below relates to retaining.

BACKGROUND ART In manufacturing a semiconductor device, a CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) operation including polishing, buffing, and cleaning is required. A semiconductor device has a multilayer structure, and a transistor device having a diffusion region is formed on a substrate layer. In the substrate layer, connecting metal lines are patterned and electrically connected to the transistor elements forming the functional elements. As is known, the patterned conductive layer is insulated from the other conductive layers with an insulating material such as silicon dioxide. As more metal layers and associated insulating layers are formed, the need to flatten the insulating material increases. Without flattening, the production of additional metal layers becomes substantially more difficult because of the many variations in surface morphology. In addition, the metal line pattern is formed of an insulating material, so that the metal CMP operation removes the excess metal.

The CMP process includes a process of physically abrading the surface of a substrate through a polishing pad. This process is performed by pressing the substrate against the polishing head while holding the substrate through the substrate carrier. In general, since the polishing pad has elasticity, a pressing force applied to the substrate during the polishing process is non-uniform, so that the substrate is separated from the carrier head. Accordingly, the substrate carrier has a retaining ring that supports the edge region of the substrate.

On the other hand, since the retaining ring is worn while in contact with the polishing pad during the polishing process of the substrate, the flatness of the surface becomes non-uniform as the polishing process progresses. Accordingly, a method has been introduced in which the retaining ring is composed of an upper part and a lower part and used while replacing the worn lower parts. However, in the case of such a structure, there is a problem that the lower part is separated from the upper part due to friction with the polishing pad. Accordingly, there is a need for a retaining ring having a structure capable of stably fastening the lower part to the upper part so as to prevent the lower part from being separated.

The above-mentioned background art is possessed or acquired by the inventor in the process of deriving the disclosure of the present application, and it cannot necessarily be said to be a known technology disclosed to the general public prior to the present application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of one embodiment to provide a retaining ring capable of preventing a lower part from detaching from an upper part.

It is an object of an embodiment to provide a retaining ring that facilitates replacement of a lower part.

The retainer ring according to an embodiment includes: an upper part including a body part formed in a ring shape, a receiving groove recessed in a lower surface of the body part, and a fastening groove recessed in an inner surface of the receiving groove; and a lower part including a plate part, an insertion part protruding from an upper surface of the plate part to be inserted into the receiving groove, and a fastening protrusion formed to protrude from an outer surface of the insertion part and inserted into the fastening groove.

A plurality of the receiving grooves may be formed to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval along a circumferential direction of the upper part.

The lower parts may be provided in a number corresponding to the accommodating grooves to be respectively inserted into the plurality of accommodating grooves, and a flow path may be formed between adjacently positioned lower parts.

The plate portion may include inner and outer surfaces extending in a circumferential direction of the upper part; and a first side and a second side connecting the inner side and the outer side and inclined in the same direction, wherein the second side may be inclined at a greater angle than the first side.

The flow path may be inclined with respect to a radial direction of the retaining ring.

The plate portion may include inner and outer surfaces extending in a circumferential direction of the upper part; and a first side and a second side connecting the inner side and the outer side and inclined in opposite directions, wherein the first side and the second side may be inclined at the same angle.

The flow path may be formed in a radial direction of the retaining ring.

The insertion part may be formed along the circumference of the plate part so that a hollow is formed therein.

The lower part may further include a cutout in which at least a portion of the insertion part is cut.

The cutout may be formed at a position corresponding to a corner of the insertion part.

The lower part may include an elastically deformable material.

The fastening protrusion may be formed in any one of a circle, a square, and a triangle.

The retainer ring according to an embodiment includes: an upper part including a body part formed in a ring shape, an accommodating groove recessed on a lower surface of the body part, and a fastening protrusion protruding from an inner surface of the accommodating groove; and a lower part including a plate part, an insertion part protruding from an upper surface of the plate part to be inserted into the receiving groove, and a fastening groove recessed on an outer surface of the insertion part and into which the fastening protrusion is inserted.

The retaining ring according to an embodiment may prevent the lower part from being separated from the upper part through the fastening of the fastening protrusion and the fastening groove.

The retaining ring according to an embodiment may have a structure in which a lower part can be easily replaced.

Effects of retaining according to an embodiment are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate polishing apparatus according to an embodiment.
2 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate carrier according to an embodiment.
3 is a lower perspective view of a retaining ring according to an embodiment;
4 is a perspective view of an upper part according to an embodiment;
5 is a cross-sectional view of a receiving groove of an upper part according to an embodiment.
6 is a perspective view of a lower part according to an embodiment;
7 is a combined cross-sectional view of an upper part and a lower part according to an exemplary embodiment.
8 is a bottom perspective view of a retaining ring according to an embodiment;

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, since various changes may be made to the embodiments, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents and substitutes for the embodiments are included in the scope of the rights.

The terms used in the examples are used for the purpose of description only, and should not be construed as limiting. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiment belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. does not

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiment, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiment, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the elements from other elements, and the essence, order, or order of the elements are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component is between each component. It will be understood that may also be "connected", "coupled" or "connected".

Components included in one embodiment and components having a common function will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, descriptions described in one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments as well, and detailed descriptions within the overlapping range will be omitted.

1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate carrier according to an embodiment.

1 and 2 , a substrate polishing apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment may be used for a CMP process of a substrate W. Referring to FIG.

The substrate W may be a silicon wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor device. However, the type of the substrate W is not limited thereto. For example, the substrate W may include glass for a flat panel display device (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a plasma display panel (PDP).

The substrate polishing apparatus 1 can polish the substrate W. The substrate polishing apparatus 1 may include a substrate carrier 10 and a polishing unit U.

The polishing unit U may polish the to-be-polished surface of the substrate W. The polishing unit U may include a polishing platen T and a polishing pad P.

A polishing pad P may be connected to the polishing plate T. For example, the polishing pad P may be attached to the upper portion of the polishing platen T. The polishing platen T may orbitally polish the polished surface of the substrate W in contact with the polishing pad P while rotating about the axis. The polishing surface plate T can adjust the position of the polishing pad P with respect to the ground while moving in the vertical direction. The polishing pad P may be in contact with the surface to be polished of the substrate W to physically abrade the surface to be polished of the substrate W. The polishing pad P may include a polyurethane (polyurethane) material.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the substrate carrier 10 may hold the substrate W . The substrate carrier 10 may chuck and hold the substrate W to be polished, and move the gripped substrate W to the upper portion of the polishing pad P. The substrate carrier 10 may perform polishing of the substrate W by bringing the substrate W transferred to the upper portion of the polishing pad into contact with the polishing pad P. The substrate carrier 10 presses the substrate W in contact with the polishing pad P, thereby controlling the friction force between the substrate W and the polishing pad P to determine the degree of polishing of the substrate W. The substrate carrier 10 may include a carrier head 11 , a membrane 12 and a retaining ring 13 .

The carrier head 11 may adjust the position of the substrate W. The carrier head 11 may receive power from the outside and may rotate about an axis perpendicular to the surface of the polishing pad P. The substrate W gripped by the rotation of the carrier head 11 may be polished while rotating while in contact with the polishing pad P.

The carrier head 11 may move the substrate W horizontally. For example, the carrier head 11 may translate in a first direction parallel to the surface of the polishing pad P and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Through the combined movement in the first direction and the second direction, the carrier head 11 may move the substrate W on a plane parallel to the surface of the polishing pad P. As a result, according to the horizontal movement of the carrier head 11 , the substrate W may be transferred to or removed from the polishing position.

The carrier head 11 may move the substrate W in the vertical direction with respect to the ground. The carrier head 11 can move up and down with respect to the substrate W support for chucking/dechucking the substrate W, or move up and down with respect to the polishing pad P for polishing the substrate W. there is.

The membrane 12 is connected to the carrier head 11 and may form a pressure chamber C for applying pressure to the substrate W. According to the pressure fluctuation of the pressure chamber C formed by the membrane 12 , the pressure acting on the substrate W may be adjusted. For example, the degree to which the substrate W is pressed against the polishing pad P may be increased by increasing the pressure of the pressure chamber C while the substrate W is in contact with the polishing pad P. The membrane 12 may include a bottom plate that forms a bottom surface of the pressure chamber C, and a flap that forms a sidewall of the pressure chamber C. A plurality of flaps may be formed to have different radii based on the center of the bottom plate, and each pressure chamber C may be formed for each space between adjacent flaps. Different pressures may be applied to the pressure chambers C, and a portion of the substrate W corresponding to each pressure chamber C may be locally pressurized according to the pressure applied to each pressure chamber C.

The retaining ring 13 may be connected to the carrier head 11 so as to surround the periphery of the gripped substrate W . The retaining ring 13 may prevent the substrate W from being separated from the gripped position. For example, the retaining ring 13 may support the side surface of the substrate W so that the substrate W does not separate from the substrate carrier 10 due to vibration generated during the polishing process of the substrate W .

The retaining ring 13 may be directly connected to the carrier head 11 or indirectly connected through a separate connecting member. The retaining ring 13 may be connected to the carrier head 11 to move up and down relative to the substrate carrier 10 via a separate actuator, for example.

The retaining ring 13 may include an upper part 131 and a lower part 132 . The upper part 131 may have an upper side connected to the carrier head 11 . A lower part 132 may be connected to a lower side of the upper part 131 . A lower side of the lower part 132 may be in contact with the polishing pad P. When the lower side of the lower part 132 is worn by contact with the polishing pad, the lower part 132 may be replaced.

3 is a lower perspective view of a retaining ring according to an embodiment; 4 is a perspective view of an upper part according to an embodiment; 5 is a cross-sectional view of a receiving groove of an upper part according to an embodiment. 6 is a perspective view of a lower part according to an embodiment; 7 is a combined cross-sectional view of an upper part and a lower part according to an exemplary embodiment.

3 to 7 , the upper part 131 may be formed in a ring shape. The upper part 131 may include a metal material. For example, the upper part 131 may include stainless steel.

The upper part 131 may include a body portion 1311 , a receiving groove 1312 , and a fastening groove 1313 .

The body portion 1311 may be formed in a ring shape. A substrate may be positioned and held in the inner space of the body portion 1311 . The body 1311 may have a carrier head 11 connected to its upper side and a lower part 132 to its lower side.

The receiving groove 1312 may be formed to be depressed upwardly on the lower surface of the body portion 1311 . A plurality of receiving grooves 1312 may be formed. The plurality of receiving grooves 1312 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the upper part 131 . The receiving groove 1312 may be a space into which the insertion part 1322 of the lower part 132, which will be described later, is inserted. The receiving groove 1312 may have a shape corresponding to the insertion part 1322 .

The fastening groove 1313 may be recessed in the inner surface of the receiving groove 1312 . The fastening groove 1313 may extend along the inner surface of the receiving groove 1312 . For example, the fastening groove 1313 may form a closed loop along the inner surface of the receiving groove 1312 . The fastening groove 1313 may be formed in the vicinity of the middle of the recessed depth of the receiving groove 1312 . The fastening groove 1313 may be a space into which the fastening protrusion 1323 of the lower part 132, which will be described later, is inserted. The fastening groove 1313 may have a shape corresponding to the fastening protrusion 1323 .

The lower part 132 may be connected to a lower side of the upper part 131 . The lower part 132 may be provided in a number corresponding to the receiving groove 1312 . Each lower part 132 may be inserted into each receiving groove 1312 . That is, the plurality of lower parts 132 may be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the upper part 131 . According to such a structure, a flow path F through which a slurry or a chemical is discharged may be formed between the lower parts 132 positioned adjacent to each other. Accordingly, the slurry or chemical may be discharged from the inside to the outside through the flow path F.

The lower part 132 may include an elastically deformable material. For example, the lower part 132 may include an engineering plastic.

The lower part 132 may include a plate part 1321 , an insertion part 1322 , a fastening protrusion 1323 , and a cutout part 1323 .

The plate portion 1321 may be configured to be in contact with the polishing pad P. The plate part 1321 may be formed in a plate shape. For example, the plate part 1321 may have a rectangular shape. The plate part 1321 may include an inner surface 1321a, an outer surface 1321b, a first side surface 1321c, and a second side surface 1321d.

The inner surface 1321a and the outer surface 1321b may extend in a circumferential direction of the upper part 131 . The outer surface 1321b may refer to a surface positioned relatively outside the inner surface 1321a. The first side surface 1321c and the second side surface 1321d may connect the inner surface 1321a and the outer surface 1321b. 3 and 6 , the first side 1321c and the second side 1321d may be inclined in the same direction. For example, the first side 1321c and the second side 1321d may be inclined in a direction in which the retaining ring 13 is rotated or a reverse direction. Angles at which the first side surface 1321c and the second side surface 1321d are inclined may be different from each other. For example, the second side surface 1321d may be inclined at a greater angle than the first side surface 1321c. According to such a structure, the flow path F may be formed to be inclined with respect to the radial direction of the retaining ring 13 . Accordingly, the slurry and chemicals pushed to the outside by the centrifugal force can be smoothly discharged to the outside through the flow path (F).

Meanwhile, FIG. 8 is a lower perspective view of a retaining ring according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8 , the first side surface 1321c and the second side surface 1321d may be inclined in opposite directions. The angle at which the first side surface 1321c and the second side surface 1321d are inclined may be the same. According to such a structure, the flow path F may be formed in the radial direction of the retainer ring 13 .

The insertion part 1322 may be formed to protrude upward from the upper surface of the plate part 1321 . The insertion part 1322 may be inserted into the receiving groove 1312 of the upper part 131 . The insertion part 1322 may be formed along the circumference of the plate part 1321 so that a hollow 1322a is formed therein. That is, the insertion part 1322 may extend along the circumference of the plate part 1321 with a predetermined width, and a hollow 1322a may be formed therein.

The fastening protrusion 1323 may be formed to protrude from the outer surface of the insertion part 1322 . The fastening protrusion 1323 may be inserted into the fastening groove 1313 of the upper part 131 . The fastening protrusion 1323 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the fastening groove 1313 . In FIG. 7 , the fastening protrusion 1323 and the fastening groove 1313 are shown in a circular shape, but this is exemplary and the fastening protrusion 1323 and the fastening groove 1313 may be formed in various shapes such as a circle, a square, and a triangle. As the fastening protrusion 1323 is coupled to the fastening groove 1313 , the coupling force between the upper part 131 and the lower part 132 may be increased. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the lower part 132 from being separated from the upper part 131 even by friction and vibration generated by the contact between the lower part 132 and the polishing pad P.

The cutout 1324 may be formed by cutting at least a portion of the insertion section 1322 . For example, the cutout 1324 may be formed at a position corresponding to a corner of the insertion part 1322 . For example, a total of four cutouts 1324 may be formed at each corner. The cutout 1324 may provide a clearance space so that the fastening protrusion 1323 of the lower part 132 is smoothly inserted into the fastening groove 1313 of the upper part 131 together with the hollow 1322a. While the lower part 132 is inserted into the upper part 131 , as the fastening protrusion 1323 comes into contact with the inner surface of the receiving groove 1312 , the insertion part 1321 may be elastically deformed inward. At this time, even if the insertion portion 1321 is elastically deformed in the inward direction, the insertion portion 1321 may be withdrawn into the space of the hollow 1322a and the cutout 1324 . Therefore, by the space of the hollow 1322a and the cutout 1324, the concentration of the stress generated when the insertion portion 1321 is withdrawn is prevented, thereby preventing the insertion portion 1321 from being damaged during the insertion process. there is. In addition, in the process of separating for replacement, the lower part 132 can be smoothly separated from the upper part 131 while the insertion part 1321 is withdrawn into the space of the hollow 1322a and the cutout 1324 . . As a result, the hollow 1322a and the cutout 1324 facilitate the coupling and separation of the upper part 131 and the lower part 132 , thereby facilitating replacement of the lower part 132 .

Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings, a fastening protrusion may be protruded from the inner surface of the receiving groove of the upper part, and the fastening groove may be recessed from the outer surface of the insertion part of the lower part. In addition, a plurality of fastening protrusions and fastening grooves may be formed at positions corresponding to each other. For example, although the fastening protrusion and the fastening groove are shown in one line in the drawings, they may be formed in two or more lines.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with reference to the limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques are performed in an order different from the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

1: substrate polishing device
13: Retaining
131: upper part
132: lower part

Claims (13)

an upper part including a body portion formed in a ring shape, a receiving groove recessed in a lower surface of the body portion, and a fastening groove recessed in an inner surface of the receiving groove; and
A retainer ring comprising: a plate part; a lower part including an insertion part protruding from an upper surface of the plate part to be inserted into the receiving groove; According to claim 1,
A retaining ring, wherein a plurality of the receiving grooves are spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals along a circumferential direction of the upper part. 3. The method of claim 2,
The retaining ring, wherein the lower parts are provided in a number corresponding to the receiving grooves, respectively inserted into the plurality of receiving grooves, and a flow path is formed between the adjacently located lower parts. 4. The method of claim 3,
The plate part,
an inner surface and an outer surface extending in a circumferential direction of the upper part; and
Connecting the inner surface and the outer surface, including a first side and a second side inclined in the same direction,
and the second side is inclined at a greater angle than the first side. 5. The method of claim 4,
and the flow path is formed to be inclined with respect to a radial direction of the retaining ring. 5. The method of claim 4,
The plate part,
an inner surface and an outer surface extending in a circumferential direction of the upper part; and
Connecting the inner surface and the outer surface, including a first side and a second side inclined in opposite directions to each other,
wherein the first side and the second side are inclined at the same angle to each other. 7. The method of claim 6,
and the flow path is formed in a radial direction of the retaining ring. The method of claim 1,
and the insert portion is formed along the circumference of the plate portion such that a hollow is formed therein. 9. The method of claim 8,
The lower part further comprises a cutout portion in which at least a portion of the insertion portion is cut out, retaining ring. 10. The method of claim 9,
The retaining portion is formed at a position corresponding to a corner of the insertion portion. 11. The method of claim 10,
wherein the lower part comprises an elastically deformable material. The method of claim 1,
The retaining protrusion is formed in any one of a circle, a square and a triangle. an upper part including a body portion formed in a ring shape, a receiving groove recessed on a lower surface of the body portion, and a fastening protrusion protruding from an inner surface of the receiving groove; and
A retainer ring comprising: a plate part; a lower part including an insertion part protruding from an upper surface of the plate part to be inserted into the receiving groove;

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