US20140113533A1 - Damper for polishing pad conditioner - Google Patents
Damper for polishing pad conditioner Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20140113533A1 US20140113533A1 US14/057,429 US201314057429A US2014113533A1 US 20140113533 A1 US20140113533 A1 US 20140113533A1 US 201314057429 A US201314057429 A US 201314057429A US 2014113533 A1 US2014113533 A1 US 2014113533A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- arm
- damper
- polishing pad
- base
- conditioner
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 238000005498 polishing Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 85
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 25
- 239000012636 effector Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 18
- 230000003750 conditioning effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000013016 damping Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 9
- 239000002002 slurry Substances 0.000 description 7
- 239000003082 abrasive agent Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000004590 computer program Methods 0.000 description 3
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000035508 accumulation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910003460 diamond Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000010432 diamond Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002635 polyurethane Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000004814 polyurethane Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 2
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000006227 byproduct Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001143 conditioned effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007797 corrosion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001627 detrimental effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000945 filler Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000010355 oscillation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003534 oscillatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000206 photolithography Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000047 product Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000377 silicon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007779 soft material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010408 sweeping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003190 viscoelastic substance Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
- H01L21/302—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to change their surface-physical characteristics or shape, e.g. etching, polishing, cutting
- H01L21/304—Mechanical treatment, e.g. grinding, polishing, cutting
-
- 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
- B24B53/00—Devices or means for dressing or conditioning abrasive surfaces
- B24B53/017—Devices or means for dressing, cleaning or otherwise conditioning lapping tools
-
- 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
- B24B41/00—Component parts such as frames, beds, carriages, headstocks
- B24B41/007—Weight compensation; Temperature compensation; Vibration damping
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates to conditioning of polishing pads.
- An integrated circuit is typically formed on a substrate by the sequential deposition of conductive, semiconductive, or insulative layers on a silicon wafer.
- a variety of fabrication processes require planarization of a layer on the substrate. For example, for certain applications, e.g., polishing of a metal layer to form vias, plugs, and lines in the trenches of a patterned layer, an overlying layer is planarized until the top surface of a patterned layer is exposed. In other applications, e.g., planarization of a dielectric layer for photolithography, an overlying layer is polished until a desired thickness remains over the underlying layer.
- CMP Chemical mechanical polishing
- the surface of the polishing pad becomes glazed due to accumulation of slurry by-products and/or material removed from the substrate and/or the polishing pad. Glazing reduces pad asperity, provides less localized pressure, thus reducing the polishing rate. In addition, glazing may cause the polishing pad to lose some of its capacity to hold the slurry, further reducing the polishing rate.
- the properties of the glazed polishing pad can be restored by a process of conditioning with a pad conditioner.
- the pad conditioner is used to remove the unwanted accumulations on the polishing pad and regenerate the surface of the polishing pad to a desirable asperity.
- Typical pad conditioners include an abrasive head generally embedded with diamond abrasives which can be rubbed against the pad surface of the glazed polishing pad to retexture the pad.
- the pad conditioner In some conditioning systems with some polishing recipes, the pad conditioner, particularly the pad conditioner arm, will exhibit significant vibration.
- the vibration is detrimental to the arm can reduces the effectiveness of the conditioning process.
- this vibration is often audible, and in fact can be unacceptably loud.
- a tuned mass damper on the base of the conditioner, vibrations can be significantly reduced or eliminated.
- a conditioner apparatus for use in substrate polishing includes a conditioner head constructed to receive an end effector for conditioning a surface of a polishing pad, an arm that supports the conditioner head, a base that supports the arm, and a damper system secured to the base.
- the base includes an actuator connected to the arm to move the arm and the conditioner head laterally over the polishing pad.
- the damper system is configured to reduce vibration of the arm.
- the actuator comprises may be a rotary actuator configured to sweep the arm over the polishing pad.
- the damper system may be secured to and rotate with the rotary actuator.
- the damper system may include a damper mass.
- the damper mass may be attached to the base by at least one damper.
- the at least one damper may be a layer of damping material.
- the damper mass may be attached to the base by a plurality of dampers.
- the plurality of dampers may include dashpots.
- the plurality of dampers may be arranged to define a primary axis parallel to an axis of a primary mode of vibration of the arm.
- the plurality of dampers may be are arranged to define a primary axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the arm.
- the conditioner head may include a vertical actuator connected to the end effector to control a vertical position of the end effector.
- a non-transitory computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine readable storage device, includes instructions to carry out the method.
- Implementations may optionally include one or more of the following advantages. Vibration of the pad conditioner, particularly the pad conditioner arm, can be reduced. Effectiveness of the conditioning process can be improved. Noise generated by the pad conditioner can be reduced.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional side view of an example of a polishing apparatus.
- FIG. 2 is a top view of a polishing station of a polishing apparatus.
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conditioner apparatus.
- FIG. 4 is a top view of a base of a conditioning apparatus.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a polishing apparatus 100 .
- the polishing apparatus 100 includes a rotatable disk-shaped platen 120 on which a polishing pad 110 is situated.
- the platen 120 is operable to rotate about an axis 125 .
- a motor 122 can turn a drive shaft 124 to rotate the platen 120 .
- the platen 120 can rotate at about 30-200 rpm.
- the polishing pad 110 can has a polishing surface 116 .
- the polishing pad 110 can be a two-layer polishing pad with an outer polishing layer 112 and a softer backing layer 114 .
- the layer that provides the polishing surface 116 e.g., the outer polishing layer 112 , can be a porous polyurethane, e.g., an IC-1000 material.
- the polishing apparatus 100 can include a port 130 to dispense polishing liquid 132 , such as slurry, onto the polishing pad 110 to the pad.
- the slurry 132 can include silica abrasive particles, e.g., the slurry can be SS-12.
- the polishing apparatus 100 includes at least one carrier head 140 . While only one carrier head 140 is shown, more carrier heads can be provided to hold additional substrates so that the surface area of polishing pad 110 may be used efficiently.
- the carrier head 140 is operable to hold a substrate 10 against the polishing pad 110 .
- the carrier head 140 can have independent control of the polishing parameters, for example pressure, associated with each respective substrate.
- the carrier head 140 can include a retaining ring 142 to retain the substrate 10 below a flexible membrane 144 . Pressurization of one or more chambers behind the membrane 144 controls the pressure applied to the substrate 10 . Although only three chambers are illustrated in FIG. 1 for ease of illustration, there could be one or two chambers, or four or more chambers, e.g., five chambers.
- the carrier head 140 is suspended from a support structure 150 , e.g., a carousel or a track, and is connected by a drive shaft 152 to a carrier head rotation motor 154 so that the carrier head can rotate about an axis 155 .
- the carrier head 140 can rotate at about 30-200 rpm.
- the carrier head 140 can oscillate laterally, e.g., on sliders on the carousel 150 or track; or by rotational oscillation of the carousel itself.
- the platen is rotated about its central axis 125
- the carrier head is rotated about its central axis 155 and translated laterally across the top surface of the polishing pad.
- the polishing apparatus can also include a polishing pad conditioner 160 to abrade the polishing pad 110 to maintain the polishing pad 110 in a consistent abrasive state.
- the polishing pad conditioner 160 includes a base 162 , an arm 164 that can sweep laterally over the polishing pad 110 , and a conditioner head 166 connected to the base 162 by the arm 164 .
- the base 162 is mounted on a frame 102 of the polishing apparatus 100 that can also support the other components, e.g., the platen 120 and the support structure 150 .
- the conditioner head 166 includes an abrasive surface configured to condition the surface 116 of the polishing pad 110 .
- the abrasive surface can be rotatable, and the pressure of the abrasive surface against the polishing pad can be controllable.
- the polishing pad 110 is conditioned by the conditioner head 166 while the polishing pad 110 polishes a substrate 10 which is mounted on carrier head 140 .
- the arm 164 is pivotally attached to the base 162 , and sweeps back and forth to move the conditioner head 166 in an oscillatory sweeping motion (shown by arrows S) across polishing pad 110 .
- the motion of the conditioner head 166 can be synchronized with the motion of carrier head 140 to prevent collision.
- the polishing apparatus 100 can include a rinsing cup 168 supported on the frame 102 and positioned in a location such that the arm 164 can position the conditioner head 166 in the cup 168 .
- the rinsing cup 168 can contain a fluid for rinsing the conditioner head 166 , or a set of nozzles can be mounted in the cup to spray cleaning fluid on the conditioner head 166 .
- the conditioner head 166 can be positioned in the rinsing cup 168 for cleaning
- the conditioner head 166 includes a rotatable and vertically movable end effector 170 that holds a conditioning disk 172 .
- the conditioning disk 172 has a bottom surface embedded with diamond abrasives which can be rubbed against the surface of the polishing pad to retexture the pad.
- the conditioning disk 172 can be held in the end effector by magnets, or by mechanical fasteners.
- a gimbal mechanism can be coupled between the end effector 170 and the conditioner head 166 , the gimbal mechanism allowing the end effector 170 to tilt at an angle relative to the arm 164 .
- Vertical motion of the end effector 170 and control of the pressure of conditioning disk 172 can be provided by a vertical actuator in the conditioner head 166 , e.g., a pressurizable chamber 174 positioned to apply downward pressure to the end effector 170 .
- the vertical motion and pressure control can be provided by a vertical actuator in the base 162 that lifts the entire arm 164 and conditioner head 166 , or by a pivot connection between the arm 164 and the base 162 that permits a controllable angle of inclination of the arm 164 and thus height of the conditioner head 166 above the polishing pad 110 .
- Rotation of the end effector 170 can be provided by a motor in the base 162 that is connected by a belt drive that extends through the arm 164 to engage a drive shaft 174 connected to the end effector 170 .
- a description of a conditioner head can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,583, incorporated herein by reference.
- a controller 190 (see FIG. 1 ), e.g., a computer, can be connected to the conditioning apparatus 160 to control the lateral sweep of the arm 164 , the rotation rate of the end effector 170 , and the downward force of the end effector 170 on the polishing pad.
- the base 162 includes a rotary actuator 180 held on a support 182 that is secured to the frame.
- the arm 164 is affixed to the rotary actuator 180 , and rotation of the actuator 180 causes the lateral sweep of the arm 162 across the polishing pad.
- a damper system 190 is attached to the base 162 of the conditioner apparatus 160 .
- the damper system 190 can be attached to the rotary actuator 180 .
- the damper system 190 can rotate with the actuator 180 .
- the damper system 190 includes a damper mass 192 .
- the damper mass 192 is a heavy body, e.g., formed of metal.
- the mass of the damper 192 is selected to increase the stability threshold of the arm.
- a cover 184 can extend over the damper mass 192 to protect the damper mass 192 from slurry and other contaminants, e.g., to prevent corrosion.
- the damper mass 192 can either be secured with a rigid connection to the base 162 , e.g., by mechanical fasteners, or one or more dampers 194 can be positioned between the damper mass 192 and the base 162 .
- Each damper 194 can be a dashpot, e.g., a hydraulic or mechanical damper, or simply a layer of viscoelastic material.
- the dampers 194 can be positioned to preferentially reduce vibration in this mode. As shown in FIG. 4 , the dampers 194 can be positioned such that the primary axis A of the shape (shown in phantom) defined by the dampers 194 is parallel, and in the same vertical plane, as the longitudinal axis of the arm 164 .
- the damper mass 190 is secured with no or a minimal damping, the natural frequency of the arm 164 can be altered such that vibration of the conditioner arm 164 is significantly reduced.
- the conditioner apparatus 160 can run with an acceptable degree of vibration over a different consumable set and down force range.
- the damper mass 190 is connected to the base 162 by a sufficient damper 192 , problem vibrations can be significantly reduced or effectively eliminated.
- the use of the damper system 190 dramatically increases the range of applications the arm can be used under without causing any problem vibrations.
- the damper system could be applied to other cantilever parts in a polishing system that are susceptible to vibration.
- the damper system could be applied to an arm that holds a polishing head.
- polishing apparatus and methods can be applied in a variety of polishing systems.
- Either the polishing pad, or the carrier heads, or both can move to provide relative motion between the polishing surface and the substrate.
- the platen may orbit rather than rotate.
- the polishing pad can be a shape other than circular.
- Some aspects of the endpoint detection system may be applicable to linear polishing systems, e.g., where the polishing pad is a continuous or a reel-to-reel belt that moves linearly.
- the polishing layer can be a standard (for example, polyurethane with or without fillers) polishing material, a soft material, or a fixed-abrasive material.
- the arm could undergo a linearly extension motion rather than an angular sweep.
- the term substrate can include, for example, a product substrate (e.g., which includes multiple memory or processor dies), a test substrate, a bare substrate, and a gating substrate.
- the substrate can be at various stages of integrated circuit fabrication, e.g., the substrate can be a bare wafer, or it can include one or more deposited and/or patterned layers.
- the term substrate can include circular disks and rectangular sheets.
- Embodiments of the invention and all of the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structural means disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof, or in combinations of them.
- Embodiments of the invention can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more computer programs tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine readable storage media, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Finish Polishing, Edge Sharpening, And Grinding By Specific Grinding Devices (AREA)
- Mechanical Treatment Of Semiconductor (AREA)
- Grinding-Machine Dressing And Accessory Apparatuses (AREA)
Abstract
A conditioner apparatus for use in substrate polishing includes a conditioner head constructed to receive an end effector for conditioning a surface of a polishing pad, an arm that supports the conditioner head, a base that supports the arm, and a damper system secured to the base. The base includes an actuator connected to the arm to move the arm and the conditioner head laterally over the polishing pad. The damper system is configured to reduce vibration of the arm.
Description
- This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/715,750, filed on Oct. 18, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
- The present disclosure relates to conditioning of polishing pads.
- An integrated circuit is typically formed on a substrate by the sequential deposition of conductive, semiconductive, or insulative layers on a silicon wafer. A variety of fabrication processes require planarization of a layer on the substrate. For example, for certain applications, e.g., polishing of a metal layer to form vias, plugs, and lines in the trenches of a patterned layer, an overlying layer is planarized until the top surface of a patterned layer is exposed. In other applications, e.g., planarization of a dielectric layer for photolithography, an overlying layer is polished until a desired thickness remains over the underlying layer.
- Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is one accepted method of planarization. This planarization method typically requires that the substrate be mounted on a carrier or polishing head. The exposed surface of the substrate is typically placed against a rotating polishing pad. The carrier head provides a controllable load on the substrate to push it against the polishing pad. Abrasive polishing slurry is typically supplied to the surface of the polishing pad.
- After the CMP process is performed for a certain period of time, the surface of the polishing pad becomes glazed due to accumulation of slurry by-products and/or material removed from the substrate and/or the polishing pad. Glazing reduces pad asperity, provides less localized pressure, thus reducing the polishing rate. In addition, glazing may cause the polishing pad to lose some of its capacity to hold the slurry, further reducing the polishing rate.
- Typically, the properties of the glazed polishing pad can be restored by a process of conditioning with a pad conditioner. The pad conditioner is used to remove the unwanted accumulations on the polishing pad and regenerate the surface of the polishing pad to a desirable asperity. Typical pad conditioners include an abrasive head generally embedded with diamond abrasives which can be rubbed against the pad surface of the glazed polishing pad to retexture the pad.
- In some conditioning systems with some polishing recipes, the pad conditioner, particularly the pad conditioner arm, will exhibit significant vibration. The vibration is detrimental to the arm can reduces the effectiveness of the conditioning process. In addition, this vibration is often audible, and in fact can be unacceptably loud. However, by placing a tuned mass damper on the base of the conditioner, vibrations can be significantly reduced or eliminated.
- In one aspect, a conditioner apparatus for use in substrate polishing includes a conditioner head constructed to receive an end effector for conditioning a surface of a polishing pad, an arm that supports the conditioner head, a base that supports the arm, and a damper system secured to the base. The base includes an actuator connected to the arm to move the arm and the conditioner head laterally over the polishing pad. The damper system is configured to reduce vibration of the arm.
- Implementations can include on or more of the following features. The actuator comprises may be a rotary actuator configured to sweep the arm over the polishing pad. The damper system may be secured to and rotate with the rotary actuator. The damper system may include a damper mass. The damper mass may be attached to the base by at least one damper. The at least one damper may be a layer of damping material. The damper mass may be attached to the base by a plurality of dampers. The plurality of dampers may include dashpots. The plurality of dampers may be arranged to define a primary axis parallel to an axis of a primary mode of vibration of the arm. The plurality of dampers may be are arranged to define a primary axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the arm. The conditioner head may include a vertical actuator connected to the end effector to control a vertical position of the end effector. In another aspect, a non-transitory computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine readable storage device, includes instructions to carry out the method.
- Implementations may optionally include one or more of the following advantages. Vibration of the pad conditioner, particularly the pad conditioner arm, can be reduced. Effectiveness of the conditioning process can be improved. Noise generated by the pad conditioner can be reduced.
- The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional side view of an example of a polishing apparatus. -
FIG. 2 is a top view of a polishing station of a polishing apparatus. -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conditioner apparatus. -
FIG. 4 is a top view of a base of a conditioning apparatus. - Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of apolishing apparatus 100. Thepolishing apparatus 100 includes a rotatable disk-shaped platen 120 on which apolishing pad 110 is situated. Theplaten 120 is operable to rotate about anaxis 125. For example, amotor 122 can turn adrive shaft 124 to rotate theplaten 120. Theplaten 120 can rotate at about 30-200 rpm. - The
polishing pad 110 can has apolishing surface 116. Thepolishing pad 110 can be a two-layer polishing pad with anouter polishing layer 112 and asofter backing layer 114. The layer that provides thepolishing surface 116, e.g., theouter polishing layer 112, can be a porous polyurethane, e.g., an IC-1000 material. - The
polishing apparatus 100 can include aport 130 to dispense polishingliquid 132, such as slurry, onto thepolishing pad 110 to the pad. Theslurry 132 can include silica abrasive particles, e.g., the slurry can be SS-12. - The
polishing apparatus 100 includes at least onecarrier head 140. While only onecarrier head 140 is shown, more carrier heads can be provided to hold additional substrates so that the surface area ofpolishing pad 110 may be used efficiently. - The
carrier head 140 is operable to hold asubstrate 10 against thepolishing pad 110. Thecarrier head 140 can have independent control of the polishing parameters, for example pressure, associated with each respective substrate. Thecarrier head 140 can include a retainingring 142 to retain thesubstrate 10 below aflexible membrane 144. Pressurization of one or more chambers behind themembrane 144 controls the pressure applied to thesubstrate 10. Although only three chambers are illustrated inFIG. 1 for ease of illustration, there could be one or two chambers, or four or more chambers, e.g., five chambers. - The
carrier head 140 is suspended from asupport structure 150, e.g., a carousel or a track, and is connected by adrive shaft 152 to a carrierhead rotation motor 154 so that the carrier head can rotate about anaxis 155. Thecarrier head 140 can rotate at about 30-200 rpm. Optionally thecarrier head 140 can oscillate laterally, e.g., on sliders on thecarousel 150 or track; or by rotational oscillation of the carousel itself. In operation, the platen is rotated about itscentral axis 125, and the carrier head is rotated about itscentral axis 155 and translated laterally across the top surface of the polishing pad. - The polishing apparatus can also include a
polishing pad conditioner 160 to abrade thepolishing pad 110 to maintain thepolishing pad 110 in a consistent abrasive state. Thepolishing pad conditioner 160 includes abase 162, anarm 164 that can sweep laterally over thepolishing pad 110, and aconditioner head 166 connected to thebase 162 by thearm 164. Thebase 162 is mounted on aframe 102 of thepolishing apparatus 100 that can also support the other components, e.g., theplaten 120 and thesupport structure 150. Theconditioner head 166 includes an abrasive surface configured to condition thesurface 116 of thepolishing pad 110. The abrasive surface can be rotatable, and the pressure of the abrasive surface against the polishing pad can be controllable. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , in one mode of operation, thepolishing pad 110 is conditioned by theconditioner head 166 while thepolishing pad 110 polishes asubstrate 10 which is mounted oncarrier head 140. In some implementations, thearm 164 is pivotally attached to thebase 162, and sweeps back and forth to move theconditioner head 166 in an oscillatory sweeping motion (shown by arrows S) across polishingpad 110. The motion of theconditioner head 166 can be synchronized with the motion ofcarrier head 140 to prevent collision. - Optionally, the polishing
apparatus 100 can include a rinsingcup 168 supported on theframe 102 and positioned in a location such that thearm 164 can position theconditioner head 166 in thecup 168. The rinsingcup 168 can contain a fluid for rinsing theconditioner head 166, or a set of nozzles can be mounted in the cup to spray cleaning fluid on theconditioner head 166. Before and after the conditioning operation, theconditioner head 166 can be positioned in the rinsingcup 168 for cleaning - Referring to
FIG. 3 , theconditioner head 166 includes a rotatable and verticallymovable end effector 170 that holds aconditioning disk 172. Theconditioning disk 172 has a bottom surface embedded with diamond abrasives which can be rubbed against the surface of the polishing pad to retexture the pad. Theconditioning disk 172 can be held in the end effector by magnets, or by mechanical fasteners. A gimbal mechanism can be coupled between theend effector 170 and theconditioner head 166, the gimbal mechanism allowing theend effector 170 to tilt at an angle relative to thearm 164. - Vertical motion of the
end effector 170 and control of the pressure ofconditioning disk 172 can be provided by a vertical actuator in theconditioner head 166, e.g., apressurizable chamber 174 positioned to apply downward pressure to theend effector 170. Alternatively, the vertical motion and pressure control can be provided by a vertical actuator in the base 162 that lifts theentire arm 164 andconditioner head 166, or by a pivot connection between thearm 164 and the base 162 that permits a controllable angle of inclination of thearm 164 and thus height of theconditioner head 166 above thepolishing pad 110. - Rotation of the
end effector 170 can be provided by a motor in the base 162 that is connected by a belt drive that extends through thearm 164 to engage adrive shaft 174 connected to theend effector 170. A description of a conditioner head can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,583, incorporated herein by reference. - A controller 190 (see
FIG. 1 ), e.g., a computer, can be connected to theconditioning apparatus 160 to control the lateral sweep of thearm 164, the rotation rate of theend effector 170, and the downward force of theend effector 170 on the polishing pad. - The
base 162 includes arotary actuator 180 held on asupport 182 that is secured to the frame. Thearm 164 is affixed to therotary actuator 180, and rotation of theactuator 180 causes the lateral sweep of thearm 162 across the polishing pad. - A
damper system 190 is attached to thebase 162 of theconditioner apparatus 160. For example, thedamper system 190 can be attached to therotary actuator 180. In this case, thedamper system 190 can rotate with theactuator 180. - The
damper system 190 includes adamper mass 192. Thedamper mass 192 is a heavy body, e.g., formed of metal. The mass of thedamper 192 is selected to increase the stability threshold of the arm. Acover 184 can extend over thedamper mass 192 to protect thedamper mass 192 from slurry and other contaminants, e.g., to prevent corrosion. - The
damper mass 192 can either be secured with a rigid connection to thebase 162, e.g., by mechanical fasteners, or one ormore dampers 194 can be positioned between thedamper mass 192 and thebase 162. - Each
damper 194 can be a dashpot, e.g., a hydraulic or mechanical damper, or simply a layer of viscoelastic material. - Typically the primary mode of vibration is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the
arm 164. Thus, thedampers 194 can be positioned to preferentially reduce vibration in this mode. As shown inFIG. 4 , thedampers 194 can be positioned such that the primary axis A of the shape (shown in phantom) defined by thedampers 194 is parallel, and in the same vertical plane, as the longitudinal axis of thearm 164. - In general, if the
damper mass 190 is secured with no or a minimal damping, the natural frequency of thearm 164 can be altered such that vibration of theconditioner arm 164 is significantly reduced. For example, of theconditioner apparatus 160 can run with an acceptable degree of vibration over a different consumable set and down force range. In general, if thedamper mass 190 is connected to thebase 162 by asufficient damper 192, problem vibrations can be significantly reduced or effectively eliminated. Thus the use of thedamper system 190 dramatically increases the range of applications the arm can be used under without causing any problem vibrations. - Although the description above focuses on a conditioner head, the damper system could be applied to other cantilever parts in a polishing system that are susceptible to vibration. For example, the damper system could be applied to an arm that holds a polishing head.
- The above described polishing apparatus and methods can be applied in a variety of polishing systems. Either the polishing pad, or the carrier heads, or both can move to provide relative motion between the polishing surface and the substrate. For example, the platen may orbit rather than rotate. The polishing pad can be a shape other than circular. Some aspects of the endpoint detection system may be applicable to linear polishing systems, e.g., where the polishing pad is a continuous or a reel-to-reel belt that moves linearly. The polishing layer can be a standard (for example, polyurethane with or without fillers) polishing material, a soft material, or a fixed-abrasive material. The arm could undergo a linearly extension motion rather than an angular sweep.
- As used in the instant specification, the term substrate can include, for example, a product substrate (e.g., which includes multiple memory or processor dies), a test substrate, a bare substrate, and a gating substrate. The substrate can be at various stages of integrated circuit fabrication, e.g., the substrate can be a bare wafer, or it can include one or more deposited and/or patterned layers. The term substrate can include circular disks and rectangular sheets.
- Embodiments of the invention and all of the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structural means disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof, or in combinations of them. Embodiments of the invention can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more computer programs tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine readable storage media, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers.
- Particular embodiments of the invention have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
Claims (20)
1. A conditioner apparatus for use in substrate polishing, comprising:
a conditioner head constructed to receive an end effector for conditioning a surface of a polishing pad;
an arm that supports the conditioner head;
a base that supports the arm, the base including an actuator connected to the arm to move the arm and the conditioner head laterally over the polishing pad; and
a damper system secured to the base, the damper system configured to reduce vibration of the arm.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator configured to sweep the arm over the polishing pad.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the damper system is secured to and rotates with the rotary actuator.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the damper system comprises a damper mass.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the damper mass is attached to the base by at least one damper.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one damper comprises a layer of damping material.
7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the damper mass is attached to the base by a plurality of dampers.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of dampers comprise dashpots.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of dampers are arranged to define a primary axis parallel to an axis of a primary mode of vibration of the arm.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of dampers are arranged to define a primary axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the arm.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a vertical actuator in the conditioner head and connected to the end effector to control a vertical position of the end effector.
12. A polishing system, comprising:
a rotatable platen to support a polishing pad;
a carrier head to hold a substrate against the polishing pad;
a conditioner apparatus including
a conditioner head constructed to receive an end effector for conditioning a surface of the polishing pad,
an arm that supports the conditioner head,
a base that supports the arm, the base including an actuator connected to the arm to move the arm and the conditioner head laterally over the polishing pad, and
a damper system secured to the base, the damper system configured to reduce vibration of the arm.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the base and the platen are mounted on a common frame.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the platen is rotatable about an axis, and the actuator is configured to move the conditioner head toward and away from the axis.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator configured to sweep the arm over the polishing pad.
16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the damper system is secured to and rotates with the rotary actuator.
17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the damper mass is attached to the base by a plurality of dampers.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of dampers comprise dashpots.
19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of dampers are arranged to define a primary axis parallel to an axis of a primary mode of vibration of the arm.
20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of dampers are arranged to define a primary axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the arm.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/057,429 US20140113533A1 (en) | 2012-10-18 | 2013-10-18 | Damper for polishing pad conditioner |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201261715750P | 2012-10-18 | 2012-10-18 | |
US14/057,429 US20140113533A1 (en) | 2012-10-18 | 2013-10-18 | Damper for polishing pad conditioner |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20140113533A1 true US20140113533A1 (en) | 2014-04-24 |
Family
ID=50485754
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US14/057,429 Abandoned US20140113533A1 (en) | 2012-10-18 | 2013-10-18 | Damper for polishing pad conditioner |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20140113533A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6282437B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR102022125B1 (en) |
TW (1) | TWI597129B (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2016010865A1 (en) * | 2014-07-18 | 2016-01-21 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Modifying substrate thickness profiles |
US9375825B2 (en) | 2014-04-30 | 2016-06-28 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Polishing pad conditioning system including suction |
US9662762B2 (en) | 2014-07-18 | 2017-05-30 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Modifying substrate thickness profiles |
EP3324424A4 (en) * | 2016-03-11 | 2019-05-08 | TOHO Engineering Co., Ltd. | Planarizing device |
CN110605657A (en) * | 2018-05-28 | 2019-12-24 | 三星电子株式会社 | Conditioner and chemical mechanical polishing apparatus including the same |
US10665480B2 (en) | 2014-12-31 | 2020-05-26 | Osaka University | Planarizing processing method and planarizing processing device |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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KR102300359B1 (en) * | 2019-08-07 | 2021-09-08 | 세메스 주식회사 | Apparatus for processing substrate and operating method thereof |
TWI765726B (en) * | 2021-05-28 | 2022-05-21 | 大量科技股份有限公司 | Polishing system and dressing device thereof |
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- 2013-10-15 JP JP2013215091A patent/JP6282437B2/en active Active
- 2013-10-18 KR KR1020130124503A patent/KR102022125B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2013-10-18 US US14/057,429 patent/US20140113533A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2013-10-18 TW TW102137753A patent/TWI597129B/en active
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Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US9375825B2 (en) | 2014-04-30 | 2016-06-28 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Polishing pad conditioning system including suction |
WO2016010865A1 (en) * | 2014-07-18 | 2016-01-21 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Modifying substrate thickness profiles |
US9662762B2 (en) | 2014-07-18 | 2017-05-30 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Modifying substrate thickness profiles |
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US10665480B2 (en) | 2014-12-31 | 2020-05-26 | Osaka University | Planarizing processing method and planarizing processing device |
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US10770301B2 (en) | 2016-03-11 | 2020-09-08 | Toho Engineering Co., Ltd. | Planarization processing device |
CN110605657A (en) * | 2018-05-28 | 2019-12-24 | 三星电子株式会社 | Conditioner and chemical mechanical polishing apparatus including the same |
US11577364B2 (en) * | 2018-05-28 | 2023-02-14 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Conditioner and chemical mechanical polishing apparatus including the same |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
KR102022125B1 (en) | 2019-09-17 |
TW201420270A (en) | 2014-06-01 |
KR20140049951A (en) | 2014-04-28 |
JP6282437B2 (en) | 2018-02-21 |
JP2014099598A (en) | 2014-05-29 |
TWI597129B (en) | 2017-09-01 |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:FUNG, JASON GARCHEUNG;BUTTERFIELD, PAUL D.;SIGNING DATES FROM 20140108 TO 20140115;REEL/FRAME:032070/0496 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |