US20090305609A1 - Cmp pad identification and layer ratio modeling - Google Patents
Cmp pad identification and layer ratio modeling Download PDFInfo
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- US20090305609A1 US20090305609A1 US12/477,458 US47745809A US2009305609A1 US 20090305609 A1 US20090305609 A1 US 20090305609A1 US 47745809 A US47745809 A US 47745809A US 2009305609 A1 US2009305609 A1 US 2009305609A1
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- pad
- thickness
- polishing
- polishing pad
- composite
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
- B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- B24B37/00—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories
- B24B37/04—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories designed for working plane surfaces
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
- B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- B24B49/00—Measuring or gauging equipment for controlling the feed movement of the grinding tool or work; Arrangements of indicating or measuring equipment, e.g. for indicating the start of the grinding operation
Definitions
- Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and apparatus for increased productivity and decreased operating cost of a chemical mechanical polishing system.
- CMP Chemical mechanical polishing
- CMP involves the introduction of chemical slurry during the polishing process to facilitate high removal rates and selectivity between features on the substrate surface.
- CMP involves holding the substrate against a polishing pad under controlled pressure, temperature, and rotational velocity of the pad in the presence of the chemical slurry.
- CMP CMP-planarity of the substrate surface. Uniform planarity includes the uniform removal of material from the surface of substrates as well as removing non-uniform layers which have been deposited on the substrate. Successful CMP also requires process repeatability from one substrate to the next. Thus, uniformity must be achieved not only for a single substrate, but also for a series of substrates processed in a batch.
- a successful CMP system needs to maximize the removal rate of features across the substrate. Increased removal rate without corresponding reduction in the life of consumables leads to increased production. Moreover, operating costs of a CMP system may be reduced by reducing downtime of the system, which includes maximizing pad life and accurately predicting and scheduling pad replacement intervals.
- a substrate polishing apparatus comprises a platen with a polishing pad including an identification member attached to or embedded in the polishing pad and an identification member reader configured to read information from the identification member and transfer the information read from the identification member to a system controller, wherein the system controller is programmed to retrieve information specific to the polishing pad from system controller memory based on the information read from the identification member.
- a method for selectively improving properties of a composite polishing pad comprises selectively testing parameters of a composite polishing pad having an upper pad and a lower pad, wherein the polishing pad has an initial overall thickness, an initial upper pad thickness, and an initial lower pad thickness, and wherein the parameters are selectively tested while the thickness of the lower pad is varied until desired parameter improvements are achieved, identifying an improved lower pad thickness resulting from the selectively testing composite polishing pad parameters, computing a second composite polishing pad thickness comprising the sum of the initial upper pad thickness and the improved lower pad thickness, computing a thickness ratio, wherein the thickness ratio comprises the ratio of the initial upper pad thickness to the improved lower pad thickness, and resealing the initial upper pad thickness and the improved lower pad thickness using the computed thickness ratio to achieve a final composite pad thickness substantially equal to the initial composite pad thickness.
- a method for selectively improving properties of a composite polishing pad comprises selectively testing parameters of a composite polishing pad having an upper pad and a lower pad, wherein the polishing pad has an initial overall thickness, an initial upper pad thickness, and an initial lower pad thickness, and wherein the parameters are selectively tested while varying the thickness of the upper pad until desired parameter improvements are achieved, identifying an improved upper pad thickness resulting from the selectively testing composite polishing pad parameters, computing a second composite polishing pad thickness comprising the sum of the initial lower pad thickness and the improved upper pad thickness, computing a thickness ratio, wherein the thickness ratio comprises the ratio of the improved upper pad thickness to the initial lower pad thickness, and resealing the initial lower pad thickness and the improved upper pad thickness using the computed thickness ratio to achieve a final composite pad thickness substantially equal to the initial composite pad thickness.
- a polishing device comprises a polishing pad with a polishing side and a non-polishing side and an identification member attached to or embedded in the non-polishing side of the polishing pad.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system, which may incorporate embodiments of the present invention.
- CMP chemical mechanical polishing
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a polishing apparatus.
- FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for improving the thickness ratio of a composite polishing pad to improve a particular performance parameter and resealing the pad for use in an existing CMP system according to the present invention.
- FIGS. 4A , 4 B, and 4 C depict a simplified example of the process 300 .
- FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a CMP apparatus including pad identification components according to embodiments of the present invention.
- the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for improving productivity of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes and lowering operating costs of CMP systems.
- Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for improving the ratio of the layer thickness of composite polishing pads for improved removal rates.
- Embodiments of the present also provide specific polishing pad identification for monitoring and controlling processes developed for the specific pad to improve overall productivity and reduce downtime of the CMP system.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a CMP system 100 , which may incorporate embodiments of the present invention.
- the CMP system 100 may include a lower machine base 122 with a tabletop 128 mounted thereon with a removable outer cover (not shown).
- the tabletop 128 supports a series of polishing stations, which may include a first polishing station 125 , a second polishing station 125 , a third polishing station 125 , and a transfer station 127 .
- the transfer station 127 may serve multiple functions, including receiving individual substrates 110 from a loading apparatus (not shown), washing the substrates 110 , loading the substrates 110 into carrier heads 180 , receiving the substrates 110 from the carrier heads 180 , and transferring the substrates 110 to the loading apparatus.
- Each polishing station 125 may include a rotatable platen 130 having a polishing pad 120 attached thereto.
- Each platen 130 may be a rotatable aluminum or stainless steel platen attached to a platen drive motor (not shown).
- the first polishing station 125 has a first polishing pad 120 disposed on a platen 130 .
- the platen 130 may be adapted for polishing the substrate 110 to substantially remove bulk copper-containing material disposed on the substrate 110 .
- the second polishing station 125 may have a second polishing pad 120 disposed on the platen 130 for polishing the substrate 110 to remove residual copper-containing material disposed on the substrate 110 .
- the third polishing station 125 may have a polishing pad 120 disposed on the platen 130 for polishing the substrate 110 to remove barrier layer material disposed on the substrate 110 .
- the polishing stations 125 each include a pad conditioner apparatus 140 .
- the pad conditioner apparatus 140 may have a rotatable arm 142 holding an independently rotating conditioner head 144 and an associated washing basin 146 .
- the pad conditioner apparatus 140 maintains the condition of the polishing pad 120 so that it will effectively polish the substrates 110 .
- the polishing stations 125 each have a composition delivery/rinse arm 152 that includes two or more supply tubes to provide one or more CMP compositions, cleaning compositions, and/or water to the surface of the polishing pad 120 .
- the composition delivery/rinse arm 152 delivers the one or more chemical slurries in amounts sufficient to cover and wet the entire polishing pad.
- Each composition delivery/rinse arm 152 also includes several spray nozzles (not shown) that can provide a high pressure fluid rinse onto the polishing pad 120 at the end of each polishing and conditioning cycle. Additionally, intermediate washing stations 155 may be positioned between adjacent polishing stations 125 to clean the substrate 110 as it passes from one station to the next.
- a rotatable multi-head carousel 160 is positioned above the lower machine base 122 .
- the carousel 160 may include four carrier head systems 170 .
- Three carrier head systems 170 receive or hold the substrates 110 and press them against the polishing pads 120 disposed on the polishing stations 125 .
- One of the carrier head systems 170 receives the substrate 110 from and delivers the substrate 110 to the transfer station 127 .
- the carousel 160 may be supported by a center post 162 and rotated about a carousel axis 164 by a motor assembly (not shown) located within the machine base 122 .
- the center post 162 may also support a carousel support plate 166 and a cover 188 .
- the four carrier head systems 170 are mounted on the carousel support plate 166 at equal angular intervals about the carousel axis 164 .
- the center post 162 allows the carousel motor to rotate the carousel support plate 166 and orbit the carrier head systems 170 about the carousel axis 164 .
- Each carrier head system 170 includes one carrier head 180 .
- a carrier drive shaft 178 connects a carrier head rotation motor 176 (shown by the removal of one quarter of the cover 188 ) to the carrier head 180 so that the carrier head 180 can independently rotate about its own axis.
- each carrier head 180 may independently oscillate laterally in a radial slot 172 formed in the carousel support plate 166 .
- the carrier head 180 may perform several functions.
- the carrier head 180 may comprise a vacuum mechanism to chuck the substrate 110 .
- the carrier head 180 generates negative pressure behind the surface of the substrate 110 to attract and hold the substrate 110 .
- the carrier head 180 holds the substrate 110 against the polishing pads 120 , evenly distributing a downward pressure across the back surface of the substrate 110 .
- the carrier head 180 further transfers torque from the drive shaft 178 to the substrate 110 and ensures that the substrate 110 does not slip out from beneath the carrier head 180 during CMP operations.
- the CMP system 100 is equipped with a system controller 190 programmed to control and carry out various methods and sequences.
- the system controller 190 generally facilitates the control and automation of the overall system and may include a central processing unit (CPU) 192 , memory 194 , and support circuits 196 .
- the CPU 192 may be one of any computer processors used in industrial settings for controlling various system functions and processes.
- the polishing pad 120 may comprise two pads assembled together into a stack, called a composite polishing pad.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a polishing apparatus 200 , such as polishing station 125 .
- the polishing apparatus 200 includes a metal platen 230 , such as platen 130 , having a composite polishing pad 220 mounted thereto. Both the composite polishing pad 220 and the platen 230 are generally disc-shaped and of substantially equal diameters.
- the composite polishing pad 220 comprises an upper pad 260 and a lower pad 280 .
- An adhesive 250 such as a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) is provided on the back face of the pads 260 , 280 to bond the pads to one another and to the platen 230 , respectively.
- PSA pressure sensitive adhesive
- the upper pad 260 be stiffer and less compliant than the lower pad 280 to provide a sufficiently a rigid polishing surface.
- a stiff pad provides better within-die uniformity, while more compliance is needed to ensure within-substrate uniformity.
- the upper pad 260 comprises cast polyurethane.
- the lower pad 280 comprises polyester felt stiffened with polyurethane resin. The combination of pads 260 , 280 having the proper proportions of stiffness and compliance achieve good planarity and uniformity over the surface of the substrate.
- the thickness ratio of the composite pad 220 may be modified to maximize the removal rate of particular films or features on the substrate when the composite pad 220 is used in combination with a particular recipe of chemical slurry. Once determined, the thickness ratio of the composite pad 220 may be used to rescale the overall thickness of the composite pad 220 for use in existing CMP systems.
- FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process 300 for improving the thickness ratio of a composite polishing pad to improve a particular performance parameter and resealing the pad for use in an existing CMP system.
- a composite pad such as composite pad 220
- a stiff upper pad such as pad 260
- a compliant lower pad such as pad 280
- baseline performance parameters for a given recipe of chemical slurry.
- the thickness of the lower pad of the composite pad is increased and/or decreased, while maintaining a constant thickness in the upper pad, until a range of desired results are achieved for the given recipe of chemical slurry without altering the individual physical properties of the lower pad or the upper pad.
- the thickness of the upper pad may be altered while maintaining the thickness of the lower pad. In another embodiment, both the upper and lower pad thickness may be altered.
- the ratio of the thickness of the upper pad to the thickness of the lower pad is computed at 330 .
- the overall thickness of the composite pad is rescaled to a thickness of the initial overall thickness in 310 within a specified tolerance required for using the pad in the existing CMP system, while keeping the upper to lower pad thickness ratio computed in 330 .
- FIGS. 4 a, 4 b, and 4 c depict a simplified example of the process 300 .
- a composite pad 400 with an initial overall thickness 400 a of about 13 mm has an upper pad 460 with an initial upper thickness 460 a of about 8 mm and a lower pad 480 with an initial lower thickness 480 a of about 5 mm.
- the thickness of the lower pad 480 is selectively increased during testing to increase removal rate without affecting substrate uniformity.
- a lower pad thickness increase 480 b of between about 6 mm to about 9 mm yields a removal rate increase of between about 6% to about 15% without affecting substrate uniformity.
- FIG. 4 c depicts the rescaled composite pad 400 having a final overall thickness 400 c substantially the same as the initial overall thickness 400 a and thicknesses ranging from a final upper pad thickness 460 c of about 4 mm and a final lower pad thickness 480 c of about 7 mm to a final upper pad thickness 460 c of about 5.8 mm to a final lower pad thickness 480 c of about 8 mm.
- an identification member 523 is attached to or embedded in polishing pad 520 .
- the identification member 523 provides specific information about the polishing pad 520 to a system controller 590 of a CMP apparatus 500 via an identification reader 595 .
- the identification reader 595 identifies the specific polishing pad 520 by reading the information stored in the identification member 523 .
- the system controller 590 which is preprogrammed with information regarding specific polishing pads, retrieves information regarding the polishing pad 520 identified by the identification member 523 for use in CMP processes with the specific polishing pad 520 .
- the identification member 523 is a barcode imprinted on the polishing pad 520 during its fabrication, and the identification reader 595 is a scanner that scans the barcode and relays the information about the specific polishing pad 520 to the system controller 590 via circuitry 596 .
- the identification member 523 is a barcode imprinted on the non-polishing side of the polishing pad 520 .
- the identification member 523 is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag
- the identification reader 595 is an RFID tag reader.
- the identification member 523 is an RFID tag attached to the non-polishing side of the polishing pad 520 .
- the identification member 523 is an RFID tag embedded within the non-polishing side of the polishing pad 520 .
- the polishing pad 520 is spin-balanced after installing the identification member 523 and prior to installing in CMP apparatus 500 .
- specific information about the polishing pad 520 identified is accessed for use in the CMP process.
- information regarding specific polishing pad “burn-in” processes and recipes is accessed, which leads to increased overall productivity and life of the polishing pad 520 .
- information regarding proper CMP processes and recipes is accessed specific to maximizing productivity and life of the specific polishing pad 520 .
- information regarding the specific polishing pad's specific wear rate and life is accessed for controlling CMP processes, such as platen rotation speed, chemical slurry delivery rate, and pad conditioning parameters.
- wear rate and pad life of specific polishing pads 520 are tracked, and maintenance and/or replacement schedules are refined to reduce CMP apparatus downtime.
- pad life versus number of substrates is monitored for specific polishing pads 520 for refining CMP procedures and chemical slurry recipes.
- wear rate and other operating information for specific polishing pads 520 is tracked and used for identifying and troubleshooting excessive pad wear situations.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for improving productivity of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes and lowering operating costs of CMP systems. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for improving the ratio of the layer thickness of composite polishing pads for improved removal rates. Embodiments of the present also provide specific polishing pad identification for monitoring and controlling processes developed for the specific pad to improve overall productivity and reduce downtime of the CMP system.
Description
- This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/060,003, filed Jun. 9, 2008, which is herein incorporated by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and apparatus for increased productivity and decreased operating cost of a chemical mechanical polishing system.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- In the fabrication of integrated circuits and other electronic devices, multiple layers of conducting, semiconducting, and dielectric materials are deposited and removed from a substrate. During integrated circuit fabrication, it is necessary to polish a surface of the substrate to remove high topography, surface defects, scratches, or embedded particles. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a common process used in polishing the surfaces of substrates for the removal of such features. Typically, CMP involves the introduction of chemical slurry during the polishing process to facilitate high removal rates and selectivity between features on the substrate surface. In general, CMP involves holding the substrate against a polishing pad under controlled pressure, temperature, and rotational velocity of the pad in the presence of the chemical slurry.
- An important goal of CMP is achieving uniform planarity of the substrate surface. Uniform planarity includes the uniform removal of material from the surface of substrates as well as removing non-uniform layers which have been deposited on the substrate. Successful CMP also requires process repeatability from one substrate to the next. Thus, uniformity must be achieved not only for a single substrate, but also for a series of substrates processed in a batch.
- Substrate planarity is dictated, to a large extent, by the construction of the CMP apparatus and the composition of the consumables, such as the chemical slurry and the polishing pads. A preferred construction allows for a proper balance between rigidity and compliance of the polishing device, particularly the polishing pad. Generally, stiffness is needed to ensure within-die uniformity, while sufficient compliance provides within-substrate uniformity. Within substrate uniformity refers to the ability of the CMP apparatus to remove features across the diameter of the substrate regardless of the substrate shape and/or the topography across the surface of the substrate. Within-die uniformity refers to the ability of the CMP apparatus to remove features within a die, regardless of feature size and density.
- Additionally, a successful CMP system needs to maximize the removal rate of features across the substrate. Increased removal rate without corresponding reduction in the life of consumables leads to increased production. Moreover, operating costs of a CMP system may be reduced by reducing downtime of the system, which includes maximizing pad life and accurately predicting and scheduling pad replacement intervals.
- Accordingly, a need exists for a CMP system that provides increased feature removal rate, good uniformity, maximum polishing pad life, and reduced system downtime to increase system production and lower the overall operating costs of the system.
- In one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate polishing apparatus comprises a platen with a polishing pad including an identification member attached to or embedded in the polishing pad and an identification member reader configured to read information from the identification member and transfer the information read from the identification member to a system controller, wherein the system controller is programmed to retrieve information specific to the polishing pad from system controller memory based on the information read from the identification member.
- In another embodiment, a method for selectively improving properties of a composite polishing pad comprises selectively testing parameters of a composite polishing pad having an upper pad and a lower pad, wherein the polishing pad has an initial overall thickness, an initial upper pad thickness, and an initial lower pad thickness, and wherein the parameters are selectively tested while the thickness of the lower pad is varied until desired parameter improvements are achieved, identifying an improved lower pad thickness resulting from the selectively testing composite polishing pad parameters, computing a second composite polishing pad thickness comprising the sum of the initial upper pad thickness and the improved lower pad thickness, computing a thickness ratio, wherein the thickness ratio comprises the ratio of the initial upper pad thickness to the improved lower pad thickness, and resealing the initial upper pad thickness and the improved lower pad thickness using the computed thickness ratio to achieve a final composite pad thickness substantially equal to the initial composite pad thickness.
- In another embodiment, a method for selectively improving properties of a composite polishing pad comprises selectively testing parameters of a composite polishing pad having an upper pad and a lower pad, wherein the polishing pad has an initial overall thickness, an initial upper pad thickness, and an initial lower pad thickness, and wherein the parameters are selectively tested while varying the thickness of the upper pad until desired parameter improvements are achieved, identifying an improved upper pad thickness resulting from the selectively testing composite polishing pad parameters, computing a second composite polishing pad thickness comprising the sum of the initial lower pad thickness and the improved upper pad thickness, computing a thickness ratio, wherein the thickness ratio comprises the ratio of the improved upper pad thickness to the initial lower pad thickness, and resealing the initial lower pad thickness and the improved upper pad thickness using the computed thickness ratio to achieve a final composite pad thickness substantially equal to the initial composite pad thickness.
- In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a polishing device comprises a polishing pad with a polishing side and a non-polishing side and an identification member attached to or embedded in the non-polishing side of the polishing pad.
- So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system, which may incorporate embodiments of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a polishing apparatus. -
FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for improving the thickness ratio of a composite polishing pad to improve a particular performance parameter and resealing the pad for use in an existing CMP system according to the present invention. -
FIGS. 4A , 4B, and 4C depict a simplified example of theprocess 300. -
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a CMP apparatus including pad identification components according to embodiments of the present invention. - The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for improving productivity of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes and lowering operating costs of CMP systems. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for improving the ratio of the layer thickness of composite polishing pads for improved removal rates. Embodiments of the present also provide specific polishing pad identification for monitoring and controlling processes developed for the specific pad to improve overall productivity and reduce downtime of the CMP system.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic view of aCMP system 100, which may incorporate embodiments of the present invention. TheCMP system 100 may include alower machine base 122 with atabletop 128 mounted thereon with a removable outer cover (not shown). Thetabletop 128 supports a series of polishing stations, which may include afirst polishing station 125, asecond polishing station 125, athird polishing station 125, and atransfer station 127. Thetransfer station 127 may serve multiple functions, including receivingindividual substrates 110 from a loading apparatus (not shown), washing thesubstrates 110, loading thesubstrates 110 intocarrier heads 180, receiving thesubstrates 110 from thecarrier heads 180, and transferring thesubstrates 110 to the loading apparatus. - Each
polishing station 125 may include arotatable platen 130 having apolishing pad 120 attached thereto. Eachplaten 130 may be a rotatable aluminum or stainless steel platen attached to a platen drive motor (not shown). In one embodiment, thefirst polishing station 125 has afirst polishing pad 120 disposed on aplaten 130. Theplaten 130 may be adapted for polishing thesubstrate 110 to substantially remove bulk copper-containing material disposed on thesubstrate 110. Thesecond polishing station 125 may have asecond polishing pad 120 disposed on theplaten 130 for polishing thesubstrate 110 to remove residual copper-containing material disposed on thesubstrate 110. Thethird polishing station 125 may have apolishing pad 120 disposed on theplaten 130 for polishing thesubstrate 110 to remove barrier layer material disposed on thesubstrate 110. - In one embodiment, the
polishing stations 125 each include apad conditioner apparatus 140. Thepad conditioner apparatus 140 may have arotatable arm 142 holding an independently rotatingconditioner head 144 and an associatedwashing basin 146. Thepad conditioner apparatus 140 maintains the condition of thepolishing pad 120 so that it will effectively polish thesubstrates 110. - In one embodiment, the
polishing stations 125 each have a composition delivery/rinse arm 152 that includes two or more supply tubes to provide one or more CMP compositions, cleaning compositions, and/or water to the surface of thepolishing pad 120. The composition delivery/rinse arm 152 delivers the one or more chemical slurries in amounts sufficient to cover and wet the entire polishing pad. Each composition delivery/rinse arm 152 also includes several spray nozzles (not shown) that can provide a high pressure fluid rinse onto thepolishing pad 120 at the end of each polishing and conditioning cycle. Additionally,intermediate washing stations 155 may be positioned betweenadjacent polishing stations 125 to clean thesubstrate 110 as it passes from one station to the next. - In one embodiment, a rotatable
multi-head carousel 160 is positioned above thelower machine base 122. Thecarousel 160 may include fourcarrier head systems 170. Threecarrier head systems 170 receive or hold thesubstrates 110 and press them against thepolishing pads 120 disposed on thepolishing stations 125. One of thecarrier head systems 170 receives thesubstrate 110 from and delivers thesubstrate 110 to thetransfer station 127. Thecarousel 160 may be supported by acenter post 162 and rotated about acarousel axis 164 by a motor assembly (not shown) located within themachine base 122. Thecenter post 162 may also support acarousel support plate 166 and acover 188. - In one embodiment, the four
carrier head systems 170 are mounted on thecarousel support plate 166 at equal angular intervals about thecarousel axis 164. Thecenter post 162 allows the carousel motor to rotate thecarousel support plate 166 and orbit thecarrier head systems 170 about thecarousel axis 164. Eachcarrier head system 170 includes onecarrier head 180. Acarrier drive shaft 178 connects a carrier head rotation motor 176 (shown by the removal of one quarter of the cover 188) to thecarrier head 180 so that thecarrier head 180 can independently rotate about its own axis. Additionally, eachcarrier head 180 may independently oscillate laterally in aradial slot 172 formed in thecarousel support plate 166. - The
carrier head 180 may perform several functions. Thecarrier head 180 may comprise a vacuum mechanism to chuck thesubstrate 110. During operation, thecarrier head 180 generates negative pressure behind the surface of thesubstrate 110 to attract and hold thesubstrate 110. Additionally, thecarrier head 180 holds thesubstrate 110 against the polishingpads 120, evenly distributing a downward pressure across the back surface of thesubstrate 110. Thecarrier head 180 further transfers torque from thedrive shaft 178 to thesubstrate 110 and ensures that thesubstrate 110 does not slip out from beneath thecarrier head 180 during CMP operations. - In one embodiment, the
CMP system 100 is equipped with asystem controller 190 programmed to control and carry out various methods and sequences. Thesystem controller 190 generally facilitates the control and automation of the overall system and may include a central processing unit (CPU) 192,memory 194, and supportcircuits 196. TheCPU 192 may be one of any computer processors used in industrial settings for controlling various system functions and processes. - In one embodiment, the
polishing pad 120 may comprise two pads assembled together into a stack, called a composite polishing pad.FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of apolishing apparatus 200, such as polishingstation 125. The polishingapparatus 200 includes ametal platen 230, such asplaten 130, having acomposite polishing pad 220 mounted thereto. Both thecomposite polishing pad 220 and theplaten 230 are generally disc-shaped and of substantially equal diameters. Thecomposite polishing pad 220 comprises anupper pad 260 and alower pad 280. An adhesive 250, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) is provided on the back face of thepads platen 230, respectively. - Generally, it is preferable that the
upper pad 260 be stiffer and less compliant than thelower pad 280 to provide a sufficiently a rigid polishing surface. Typically, a stiff pad provides better within-die uniformity, while more compliance is needed to ensure within-substrate uniformity. In one embodiment, theupper pad 260 comprises cast polyurethane. In one embodiment, thelower pad 280 comprises polyester felt stiffened with polyurethane resin. The combination ofpads - It has been discovered that improvements to the CMP process may be achieved by varying the ratio of the thickness of the
upper pad 260 with respect to the thickness of thelower pad 280 without altering the density, compressibility, or other properties of theindividual pads composite pad 220 may be modified to maximize the removal rate of particular films or features on the substrate when thecomposite pad 220 is used in combination with a particular recipe of chemical slurry. Once determined, the thickness ratio of thecomposite pad 220 may be used to rescale the overall thickness of thecomposite pad 220 for use in existing CMP systems. -
FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating aprocess 300 for improving the thickness ratio of a composite polishing pad to improve a particular performance parameter and resealing the pad for use in an existing CMP system. At 310, a composite pad, such ascomposite pad 220, with a stiff upper pad, such aspad 260, and a compliant lower pad, such aspad 280, and having an initial overall thickness is provided with baseline performance parameters for a given recipe of chemical slurry. At 320, the thickness of the lower pad of the composite pad is increased and/or decreased, while maintaining a constant thickness in the upper pad, until a range of desired results are achieved for the given recipe of chemical slurry without altering the individual physical properties of the lower pad or the upper pad. In one embodiment, the thickness of the upper pad may be altered while maintaining the thickness of the lower pad. In another embodiment, both the upper and lower pad thickness may be altered. Once the desired range of results is found, the ratio of the thickness of the upper pad to the thickness of the lower pad is computed at 330. At 340, the overall thickness of the composite pad is rescaled to a thickness of the initial overall thickness in 310 within a specified tolerance required for using the pad in the existing CMP system, while keeping the upper to lower pad thickness ratio computed in 330. -
FIGS. 4 a, 4 b, and 4 c depict a simplified example of theprocess 300. As shown inFIG. 4 a, acomposite pad 400 with an initialoverall thickness 400 a of about 13 mm has anupper pad 460 with an initialupper thickness 460 a of about 8 mm and alower pad 480 with an initiallower thickness 480 a of about 5 mm. The thickness of thelower pad 480 is selectively increased during testing to increase removal rate without affecting substrate uniformity. As shown inFIG. 4 b, it is found that a lowerpad thickness increase 480 b of between about 6 mm to about 9 mm yields a removal rate increase of between about 6% to about 15% without affecting substrate uniformity. Therefore, the ratio of the thickness of theupper pad 460 to the thickness of thelower pad 480 is between about 0.73 to about 0.57.FIG. 4 c depicts the rescaledcomposite pad 400 having a finaloverall thickness 400 c substantially the same as the initialoverall thickness 400 a and thicknesses ranging from a finalupper pad thickness 460 c of about 4 mm and a finallower pad thickness 480 c of about 7 mm to a finalupper pad thickness 460 c of about 5.8 mm to a finallower pad thickness 480 c of about 8 mm. - Additionally, improvements in CMP productivity and operating costs may be achieved by providing information about a specific polishing pad to a system controller of a CMP apparatus. In one embodiment, shown in
FIG. 5 , anidentification member 523 is attached to or embedded in polishingpad 520. Theidentification member 523 provides specific information about thepolishing pad 520 to asystem controller 590 of aCMP apparatus 500 via anidentification reader 595. In operation, theidentification reader 595 identifies thespecific polishing pad 520 by reading the information stored in theidentification member 523. Thesystem controller 590, which is preprogrammed with information regarding specific polishing pads, retrieves information regarding thepolishing pad 520 identified by theidentification member 523 for use in CMP processes with thespecific polishing pad 520. - In one embodiment, the
identification member 523 is a barcode imprinted on thepolishing pad 520 during its fabrication, and theidentification reader 595 is a scanner that scans the barcode and relays the information about thespecific polishing pad 520 to thesystem controller 590 viacircuitry 596. In one embodiment, theidentification member 523 is a barcode imprinted on the non-polishing side of thepolishing pad 520. In another embodiment, theidentification member 523 is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, and theidentification reader 595 is an RFID tag reader. In one embodiment, theidentification member 523 is an RFID tag attached to the non-polishing side of thepolishing pad 520. In one embodiment, theidentification member 523 is an RFID tag embedded within the non-polishing side of thepolishing pad 520. In one embodiment, thepolishing pad 520 is spin-balanced after installing theidentification member 523 and prior to installing inCMP apparatus 500. - In one embodiment, once the
system controller 590 identifies thespecific polishing pad 520, specific information about thepolishing pad 520 identified is accessed for use in the CMP process. In one embodiment, information regarding specific polishing pad “burn-in” processes and recipes is accessed, which leads to increased overall productivity and life of thepolishing pad 520. In one embodiment, information regarding proper CMP processes and recipes is accessed specific to maximizing productivity and life of thespecific polishing pad 520. In one embodiment, information regarding the specific polishing pad's specific wear rate and life is accessed for controlling CMP processes, such as platen rotation speed, chemical slurry delivery rate, and pad conditioning parameters. In one embodiment, wear rate and pad life ofspecific polishing pads 520 are tracked, and maintenance and/or replacement schedules are refined to reduce CMP apparatus downtime. In one embodiment, pad life versus number of substrates is monitored forspecific polishing pads 520 for refining CMP procedures and chemical slurry recipes. In one embodiment, wear rate and other operating information forspecific polishing pads 520 is tracked and used for identifying and troubleshooting excessive pad wear situations. - While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
Claims (19)
1. A substrate polishing apparatus, comprising:
a platen with a polishing pad including an identification member attached to or embedded in the polishing pad; and
an identification member reader configured to read information from the identification member and transfer the information read from the identification member to a system controller, wherein the system controller is programmed to retrieve information specific to the polishing pad from system controller memory based on the information read from the identification member.
2. The apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the identification member is a barcode, and wherein the identification member reader is a barcode scanner.
3. The apparatus in claim 1 , wherein the identification member is a radio frequency identification tag, and wherein the identification member reader is a radio frequency identification tag reader.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the system controller is further programmed to use the retrieved information for controlling polishing processes.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a composition delivery device, wherein the system controller is further programmed to use the retrieved information to control the delivery rate of composition delivered by the composition delivery device.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the system controller is further programmed to use the retrieved information to control a chemical slurry recipe delivered by the composition delivery device.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the system controller is further programmed to retrieve information specific to burning in the polishing pad and to control a burn in procedure for the polishing pad using the retrieved information.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a polishing pad conditioning apparatus, wherein the system controller is further programmed to use the retrieved information to control parameters of the polishing pad conditioning apparatus.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polishing pad is a composite polishing pad, comprising:
an upper polishing pad; and
a lower polishing pad, wherein the lower polishing pad is more compliant than the upper polishing pad, and wherein the ratio of the thickness of the upper polishing pad to the thickness of the lower polishing pad is between about 0.73 to about 0.57.
10. A method for selectively improving properties of a composite polishing pad, comprising:
selectively testing parameters of a composite polishing pad having an upper pad and a lower pad, wherein the polishing pad has an initial overall thickness, an initial upper pad thickness, and an initial lower pad thickness, and wherein the parameters are selectively tested while the thickness of the lower pad is varied until desired parameter improvements are achieved;
identifying an improved lower pad thickness resulting from the selectively testing composite polishing pad parameters;
computing a second composite polishing pad thickness comprising the sum of the initial upper pad thickness and the improved lower pad thickness;
computing a thickness ratio, wherein the thickness ratio comprises the ratio of the initial upper pad thickness to the improved lower pad thickness; and
resealing the initial upper pad thickness and the improved lower pad thickness using the computed thickness ratio to achieve a final composite pad thickness substantially equal to the initial composite pad thickness.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the varying the thickness of the lower pad comprises increasing the thickness of the lower pad.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the polishing pad parameters comprise a feature removal rate for a given chemical slurry recipe.
13. A method for selectively improving properties of a composite polishing pad, comprising:
selectively testing parameters of a composite polishing pad having an upper pad and a lower pad, wherein the polishing pad has an initial overall thickness, an initial upper pad thickness, and an initial lower pad thickness, and wherein the parameters are selectively tested while varying the thickness of the upper pad until desired parameter improvements are achieved;
identifying an improved upper pad thickness resulting from the selectively testing composite polishing pad parameters;
computing a second composite polishing pad thickness comprising the sum of the initial lower pad thickness and the improved upper pad thickness;
computing a thickness ratio, wherein the thickness ratio comprises the ratio of the improved upper pad thickness to the initial lower pad thickness; and
resealing the initial lower pad thickness and the improved upper pad thickness using the computed thickness ratio to achieve a final composite pad thickness substantially equal to the initial composite pad thickness.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the varying the thickness of the upper pad comprises increasing the thickness of the upper pad.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the polishing pad parameters comprise a feature removal rate for a given chemical slurry recipe.
16. A polishing device, comprising:
a polishing pad with a polishing side and a non-polishing side; and
an identification member attached to or embedded in the non-polishing side of the polishing pad.
17. The polishing device of claim 16 , wherein the polishing pad is a composite polishing pad, comprising:
an upper polishing pad; and
a lower polishing pad, wherein the lower polishing pad is more compliant than the upper polishing pad, and wherein the ratio of the thickness of the upper polishing pad to the thickness of the lower polishing pad is between about 0.73 and about 0.57.
18. The polishing device of claim 17 , wherein the identification member is a barcode imprinted on the non-polishing side of the polishing pad.
19. The polishing pad of claim 17 , wherein the identification member is a radio frequency identification tag embedded within the non-polishing side of the polishing pad.
Priority Applications (1)
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US12/477,458 US20090305609A1 (en) | 2008-06-09 | 2009-06-03 | Cmp pad identification and layer ratio modeling |
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US6000308P | 2008-06-09 | 2008-06-09 | |
US12/477,458 US20090305609A1 (en) | 2008-06-09 | 2009-06-03 | Cmp pad identification and layer ratio modeling |
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US20090305609A1 true US20090305609A1 (en) | 2009-12-10 |
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US12/477,458 Abandoned US20090305609A1 (en) | 2008-06-09 | 2009-06-03 | Cmp pad identification and layer ratio modeling |
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US (1) | US20090305609A1 (en) |
TW (1) | TW201006609A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009152008A2 (en) |
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CN110024087A (en) * | 2016-12-02 | 2019-07-16 | 应用材料公司 | The certification of RFID part and the tracking of processing component |
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JP7079249B2 (en) | 2016-12-02 | 2022-06-01 | アプライド マテリアルズ インコーポレイテッド | RFID component certification and tracking of processing components |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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WO2009152008A3 (en) | 2010-03-25 |
TW201006609A (en) | 2010-02-16 |
WO2009152008A2 (en) | 2009-12-17 |
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