WO2019208712A1

WO2019208712A1 - Polishing device provided with polishing pad surface property measuring device, and polishing system

Info

Publication number: WO2019208712A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/017691
Authority: WO
Inventors: 啓佑神木; 丸山　徹; 本島　靖之
Original assignee: 株式会社荏原製作所
Priority date: 2018-04-26
Filing date: 2019-04-25
Publication date: 2019-10-31

Abstract

The present invention relates to a polishing device provided with a surface property measuring device for measuring a surface property of a polishing pad used to polish a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, and a polishing system including such a polishing device. The polishing device is provided with a surface property measuring device (30) for measuring a surface property of a polishing pad (2), a support arm (50) for supporting the surface property measuring device (30), and a movement unit (53) which is linked to the support arm (50) to automatically move the surface property measuring device (30) from a retracted position to a measuring position.

Description

Polishing apparatus and polishing system provided with a surface texture measuring device of a polishing pad

The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus provided with a surface texture measuring device for measuring the surface texture of a polishing pad used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, and a polishing system including such a polishing apparatus.

In recent years, with higher integration and higher density of semiconductor devices, circuit wiring has become increasingly finer and the number of layers of multilayer wiring has increased. When trying to realize multilayer wiring while miniaturizing the circuit, the step becomes larger while following the surface unevenness of the lower layer, so as the number of wiring layers increases, the film coverage to the step shape in thin film formation (Step coverage) deteriorates. Therefore, in order to carry out multilayer wiring, it is necessary to improve the step coverage and perform a flattening process in an appropriate process. Further, since the depth of focus becomes shallower as the optical lithography becomes finer, it is necessary to planarize the surface of the semiconductor device so that the uneven steps on the surface of the semiconductor device are kept below the depth of focus.

Accordingly, in the semiconductor device manufacturing process, a planarization technique for the surface of the semiconductor device is becoming increasingly important. Among the planarization techniques, the most important technique is chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). In this chemical mechanical polishing, a polishing apparatus is used to polish a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer in sliding contact with the polishing pad while supplying a polishing liquid to the polishing pad. The polishing liquid is a slurry containing abrasive grains such as silica (SiO ₂ ) and ceria (CeO ₂ ).

A polishing apparatus that performs the above-described CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) includes a polishing table having a polishing pad and a substrate holding device called a carrier or top ring for holding a semiconductor wafer (substrate). . While holding the substrate by the substrate holding device using such a polishing apparatus, the substrate is pressed against the polishing pad with a predetermined pressure to polish the insulating film, metal film, etc. on the substrate. ing.

When the substrate is polished, abrasive grains and polishing debris adhere to the surface of the polishing pad, and the surface shape and state of the polishing pad change to deteriorate the polishing performance. For this reason, as the polishing of the substrate is repeated, the polishing rate decreases and uneven polishing occurs. Therefore, dressing (conditioning) of the polishing pad is performed using a dresser in order to regenerate the surface shape and state of the deteriorated polishing pad.

The surface shape and state of the polishing pad, that is, the surface property of the polishing pad is one of the factors that determine the CMP performance. Therefore, it is desirable to directly measure the surface properties of the polishing pad and reflect this measurement value in the dressing conditions. Therefore, in the conventional polishing apparatus, the dressing conditions are determined using an apparatus for directly measuring the surface properties of the polishing pad. In this specification, an apparatus for measuring the surface property of the polishing pad is referred to as a “surface property measuring device”.

Patent Document 1 describes a surface property measuring apparatus that irradiates a surface of a polishing pad with laser light, receives reflected light from the polishing pad, and obtains a reflection intensity for each reflection angle. The polishing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 obtains the surface properties of the polishing pad based on the reflection intensity distribution obtained from the surface texture measuring device, and sets the dressing conditions based on the surface properties of the obtained polishing pad. decide. According to this polishing apparatus, since the dressing conditions are changed according to the surface texture of the polishing pad obtained using the surface texture measuring device, the surface texture of the polishing pad is maintained in a state necessary for ensuring CMP performance. Can do. Furthermore, since the surface properties of the polishing pad can be directly measured, CMP processing in an abnormal state can be prevented.

International Publication No. 2016/111335

However, in the conventional polishing apparatus, the surface texture measuring apparatus is not permanently installed in the polishing apparatus. In other words, the surface texture measuring device is attached to the polishing device every time it is intended to measure the surface texture of the polishing pad, and is removed after measuring the surface texture of the polishing pad.

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a surface texture measuring apparatus attached to a conventional polishing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 30, the polishing apparatus has a holding plate 215 configured to be detachably attachable to the surface texture measuring device 230, and the holding plate 215 is suspended from a frame (not shown) of the polishing apparatus. It has been. When measuring the surface texture of the polishing pad 202, the operator attaches the surface texture measuring device 230 to the lower end of the holding plate 215 after stopping the operation of the polishing apparatus. When the measurement of the surface texture of the polishing pad 202 is completed, the operator removes the surface texture measuring device 230 from the holding plate 215, and then the operation of the polishing device is started.

As described above, in the conventional polishing apparatus, the measurement of the surface property of the polishing pad 202 is performed as an independent work separated from the operation of the polishing apparatus. Therefore, in order to measure the surface properties of the polishing pad 202 with a conventional polishing apparatus, it is necessary to temporarily stop the operation of the polishing apparatus, so that the throughput of the polishing apparatus decreases. Further, the attaching / detaching operation of the surface texture measuring device 230 is very troublesome for the operator and takes time. Therefore, a polishing device capable of automatically measuring the surface texture of the polishing pad 202 is desired.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a polishing apparatus capable of automatically measuring the surface properties of a polishing pad and improving the throughput of the polishing apparatus. Furthermore, the present invention provides a polishing system including such a polishing apparatus.

One aspect of the present invention is a surface texture measuring device that measures the surface texture of a polishing pad, a support arm that supports the surface texture measuring device, and connected to the support arm, and the surface texture measuring device is measured from a retracted position. And a moving unit for automatically moving the position to the position.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the moving unit includes a fixed block fixed to the polishing apparatus, a rotating block connected to the support arm, and the rotating block rotatable with respect to the fixed block. A rotating shaft to be connected and a rotating mechanism for rotating the rotating block are provided.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the turning mechanism is a piston cylinder mechanism including a piston connected to the turning block and a cylinder that accommodates the piston so as to freely advance and retract.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the rotating shaft is fixed to the rotating block, and the rotating mechanism is a motor connected to the rotating shaft.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a position adjustment that automatically adjusts the posture of the surface texture measuring device so that the lower surface of the surface texture measuring device moved to the measurement position is parallel to the surface of the polishing pad. The position adjusting mechanism is fixed to the upper surface of the surface texture measuring device, and extends through a through hole formed in the support table. An adjustment pin, the adjustment pin having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the through hole, extending through the through hole formed in the support base, and more than the through hole And a pin head having a size larger than the diameter of the through hole.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the surface texture measuring device includes a nozzle that injects pressurized gas obliquely with respect to the polishing surface of the polishing pad.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the surface texture measuring device has a casing that houses a measurement structure for measuring the surface texture of the polishing pad, and a notch is formed in a lower portion of the casing. The nozzle is configured to inject the pressurized gas so that the pressurized gas flows toward the opening of the notch.

A preferred aspect of the present invention further includes a displacement mechanism for displacing the position of the surface texture measuring device with respect to the polishing pad along the support arm, the displacement mechanism including an elongated hole extending along the support arm; A support shaft inserted into the elongated hole, and the support shaft is in contact with a shaft main body connected to the surface texture measuring device and a step portion formed inside the elongated hole, And a shaft head for supporting a surface texture measuring device connected to the shaft body.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the displacement mechanism further includes a piston coupled to the surface texture measuring device, and a cylinder that accommodates the piston so as to be able to advance and retract. The cylinder of the displacement mechanism is fixed to the support arm. It is characterized by being.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the rotating block includes a first plate connected to the support arm and a second plate connected to the fixed block, and the second plate is formed by a rotating pin. The first plate is pivotally connected to the first plate.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention further comprises a dresser for dressing the surface of the polishing pad, the surface texture measuring device is attached to the dresser, and the support arm rotates a dresser shaft connected to the dresser. A dresser arm that freely supports, and the moving mechanism includes a lift actuator that moves the dresser shaft up and down relative to the dresser arm, and a rotary actuator that swings a support shaft connected to the dresser arm. It is characterized by.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the surface texture measuring device measures the surface texture of the polishing pad while dressing the polishing pad.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the dressing member provided in the dresser has a ring shape having a through hole extending from the upper surface to the lower surface thereof, and the surface texture measuring device includes the through hole of the dressing member. And measuring the surface properties of the polishing pad.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the surface texture measuring devices are attached to the dresser.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, some of the plurality of surface texture measuring devices measure the pad surface texture by irradiating the polishing pad with laser light and receiving reflected light reflected from the surface of the polishing pad. It is a surface texture measuring device.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, some of the plurality of surface texture measuring devices are surface texture measuring devices that measure pad surface properties from image information on the surface of the polishing pad acquired by an imaging device. .
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the dressing member provided in the dresser has a ring shape having a through hole extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, and one of the plurality of surface texture measuring devices is the dressing member. The surface property of the polishing pad is measured through the through hole.

One aspect of the present invention includes the above polishing apparatus, and a processing system to which data on the surface property of the polishing pad obtained using the surface texture measuring apparatus of the polishing apparatus is input. An input unit for inputting surface property data of the polishing pad output from a polishing apparatus, and a process for determining dressing conditions of the polishing device based on the surface property data of the polishing pad input to the input unit And an output unit that outputs the dressing conditions determined by the processing unit to the polishing apparatus, and the polishing apparatus dresses the polishing pad based on the dressing conditions output from the output unit The polishing system is configured as described above.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the processing system further includes a storage unit that stores teacher data for determining the dressing condition in advance, and the processing unit of the processing system is based on the teacher data. The dressing conditions of the polishing apparatus are determined.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the polishing apparatus transmits the surface property data of the polishing pad acquired after dressing the polishing pad to the input unit of the processing system, and the processing unit of the processing system transmits the dressing to the dressing It is characterized in that the necessity of dressing, the necessity of additional dressing, and the replacement of the dresser are determined based on the surface property data of the subsequent polishing pad.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the polishing apparatus transmits the surface property data of the polishing pad acquired during dressing of the polishing pad to an input unit of the processing system, and the processing unit of the processing system The dressing conditions are changed during dressing of the polishing pad based on data on surface properties of the polishing pad during dressing.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the processing system is connected to the polishing apparatus via a network.

According to the present invention, the surface texture measuring device can be automatically moved to the measurement position by the moving unit to measure the surface texture of the polishing pad. Therefore, the throughput of the polishing apparatus can be improved. Furthermore, since it is not necessary for the operator to perform the attaching / detaching operation of the surface texture measuring device, the burden on the operator can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a polishing apparatus according to another embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal structure (measurement structure) of the surface texture measuring apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the internal structure (measurement structure) of the surface texture measuring apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing still another example of the internal structure (measurement structure) of the surface texture measuring apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a surface texture measuring device arranged inside the polishing apparatus. FIG. 7A is a front view of the surface texture measuring apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 7B is a bottom view of the surface texture measuring apparatus shown in FIG. 7A. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7A. FIG. 9 is an enlarged schematic view showing the periphery of the surface texture measuring apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a view showing the surface texture measuring apparatus moved to the measurement position by the rotation mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a view showing the surface texture measuring apparatus moved to the retracted position by the rotation mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the rotation mechanism. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the surface texture measuring device is moved to the maintenance position. FIG. 14A is a schematic front view of an attitude adjustment mechanism according to an embodiment. 14B is a BB line arrow view of FIG. 14A. 15A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 14A. FIG. 15B is a partial cross-sectional view of the posture adjustment mechanism corresponding to FIG. 15A when the surface texture measuring device is moved to the retracted position. 16 is a perspective view schematically showing the displacement mechanism shown in FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the displacement mechanism. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an internal structure (measurement structure) of the imaging apparatus illustrated in FIG. FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the surface texture measuring device. FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing a polishing apparatus according to still another embodiment. FIG. 22 is an enlarged schematic view of the dresser shown in FIG. FIG. 23 is a plan view schematically showing how the dresser shown in FIG. 21 swings on the polishing pad. FIG. 24A is a schematic view showing a modification of the dresser of the polishing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 24B is a top view of the dresser shown in FIG. 24A. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the dresser shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B. FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a polishing system including a polishing apparatus provided with a surface texture measuring device. FIG. 27A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of measurement points of the surface texture measuring device. FIG. 27B is an image diagram showing an outline of the operation of the polishing system when processing a plurality of pieces of image information of the polishing pad measured at each measurement point shown in FIG. 27A. FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing another example in which the polishing system is constructed as artificial intelligence using a neural network form. FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example in which the control unit of the polishing apparatus has an artificial intelligence function. FIG. 30 is a schematic view showing an example of a surface texture measuring apparatus attached to a conventional polishing apparatus.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. The polishing apparatus (CMP apparatus) shown in FIG. 1 includes a polishing table 1 and a carrier 10 that holds a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer that is an object to be polished and presses it against a polishing pad on the polishing table. The polishing table 1 is connected via a table shaft 1a to a polishing table rotation motor (not shown) disposed below the table 1a, and is rotatable around the table shaft 1a. A polishing pad 2 is attached to the upper surface of the polishing table 1, and the surface of the polishing pad 2 constitutes a polishing surface 2a for polishing the substrate W. A polishing liquid supply nozzle (not shown) is installed above the polishing table 1, and the polishing liquid (slurry) is supplied to the polishing pad 2 on the polishing table 1 by the polishing liquid supply nozzle. .

The carrier 10 is connected to a shaft 11, and the shaft 11 moves up and down with respect to the carrier arm 12. The entire carrier 10 is moved up and down relative to the carrier arm 12 by the vertical movement of the shaft 11. The shaft 11 is rotated by driving a motor (not shown), and the carrier 10 is rotated around the axis of the shaft 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier 10 can hold a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer on its lower surface. The carrier arm 12 is configured to be rotatable, and the carrier 10 holding the substrate W on the lower surface can be moved above the polishing table 1 from the substrate receiving position by the rotation of the carrier arm 12. The carrier 10 holds the substrate W on the lower surface and presses the substrate W against the surface (polishing surface) of the polishing pad 2. At this time, the polishing table 1 and the carrier 10 are respectively rotated, and a polishing liquid (slurry) is supplied onto the polishing pad 2 from a polishing liquid supply nozzle provided above the polishing table 1. As the polishing liquid, a polishing liquid containing silica (SiO ₂ ), ceria (CeO ₂ ) or the like as abrasive grains is used. In this way, while supplying the polishing liquid onto the polishing pad 2, the substrate W is pressed against the polishing pad 2 to move the substrate W and the polishing pad 2 relative to each other to polish the insulating film, metal film, etc. on the substrate. . SiO ₂ may be mentioned as an insulating film. Examples of the metal film include a Cu film, a W film, a Ta film, and a Ti film.

As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing apparatus includes a dressing apparatus 20 for dressing the polishing pad 2. The dressing device 20 includes a dresser arm 21 and a dresser 22 that is rotatably attached to the dresser arm 21. The lower part of the dresser 22 is constituted by a dressing member 22a. The dressing member 22a has a circular dressing surface, and hard particles are fixed to the dressing surface by electrodeposition or the like. Examples of the hard particles include diamond particles and ceramic particles. A motor (not shown) is built in the dresser arm 21, and the dresser 22 is rotated by this motor. The dresser arm 21 is connected to an elevating mechanism (not shown), and the dressing member 22 a presses the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2 when the dresser arm 21 is lowered by the elevating mechanism.

The dressing apparatus 20 is connected to a control unit 23, and the dressing conditions are controlled by the control unit 23. In the present embodiment, the control unit 23 is configured to control the operation of the entire polishing apparatus including the dressing apparatus 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing apparatus includes a polishing pad surface property measuring device 30 that measures surface properties such as the surface shape and surface state of the polishing pad 2. In the present embodiment, the surface texture measuring device 30 is configured to measure the pad surface texture by irradiating the polishing pad 2 with laser light and receiving the reflected light reflected by the surface of the polishing pad 2. The surface property measuring device 30 of the polishing pad is connected to the calculation unit 40.

In the polishing apparatus configured as shown in FIG. 1, the reflected light distribution from the pad surface obtained by the surface texture measuring device 30 of the polishing pad is calculated by the calculation unit 40 into the pad surface property value, and the result is calculated. The data is transferred to the control unit 23. The control unit 23 determines the dressing condition based on the received pad surface property value. The dressing device 20 dresses the pad surface by the dresser 22 by operating according to the dressing conditions determined by the control unit 23.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a polishing apparatus according to another embodiment. The polishing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a polishing unit and a dressing apparatus 20 including the polishing table 1 and the carrier 10 to which the polishing pad 2 is attached, as in the polishing apparatus illustrated in FIG. Further, the polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 includes a surface texture measuring device 30 and a calculation unit 40, similarly to the polishing apparatus shown in FIG. The computing unit 40 is connected to the display device 41. In FIG. 2, illustration of the control unit 23 is omitted, but the polishing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 also includes the control unit 23 in the same manner as the polishing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.

In the polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the reflected light distribution from the pad surface obtained by the surface texture measuring device 30 is calculated to the pad surface texture value by the calculation unit 40, and the result is displayed on the display device 41.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal structure (measurement structure) of the surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the surface texture measuring device 30 includes a light source 31 that emits laser light, a light projecting unit 32 that guides the laser light emitted from the light source 31 to the surface of the polishing pad 2 on the polishing table 1, And a light receiving unit 33 that receives the reflected light reflected by the surface of the polishing pad 2. Therefore, the laser light emitted from the light source 31 is guided to the surface of the polishing pad 2 through the light projecting unit 32, and the reflected light reflected by the surface of the polishing pad 2 is received by the light receiving unit 33. The light receiving unit 33 is connected to the calculation unit 40 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the internal structure (measurement structure) of the surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the surface property measuring apparatus 30 for a polishing pad includes a light source 31 that emits laser light, a light projecting unit 32 that guides the laser light emitted from the light source 31 in a predetermined direction, and a light projecting unit 32. Are provided with a polarizer 35, an ND filter (a neutral density filter) 36, and a mirror 37, which are sequentially arranged along the optical path of the laser light projected from. The mirror 37 is configured to change the optical path by reflecting the laser light projected from the light projecting unit 32 in order to adjust the angle at which the laser light is incident on the polishing pad 2. In addition, a band pass filter 38 is disposed in front of the light receiving unit 33 in the optical path of the reflected light reflected from the surface of the polishing pad 2. Accordingly, the laser light emitted from the light source 31 is s-polarized by the polarizer 35 and then incident on the mirror 37 whose angle is adjusted in advance by adjusting the amount of light by the ND filter 36. Then, the laser beam is reflected by the mirror 37, the optical path is changed, and is incident on the surface of the polishing pad 2. The reflected light reflected by the surface of the polishing pad 2 is allowed to pass through only a specific wavelength band by the band pass filter 38, and the reflected light of the specific wavelength band is received by the light receiving unit 33.

The light receiving unit 33 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is, for example, a linear or planar charge coupled device having a dimension capable of receiving at least up to the fourth order diffracted light or the seventh order diffracted light of the laser light reflected from the polishing pad 2. CCD) or phase-trapping metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device. The laser light applied to the surface of the polishing pad 2 is not only regularly reflected, but also reflected at a wide angle through a diffraction phenomenon according to the pad surface properties. That is, not only the specular reflection component but also laser light reflected at a wide angle is received and analyzed to obtain pad surface property information. In order to receive the laser beam reflected at these wide angles, a linear or planar light receiving element is required. It has been found that the pad surface properties that influence the CMP performance are desirably included in the 7th-order diffracted light, and practically up to the 4th-order diffracted light. Therefore, it is preferable to use a light receiving element having a size capable of receiving diffracted light in this range as the light receiving unit 33 of the surface texture measuring device 30.

In the present embodiment, the surface texture measuring device 30 is configured to measure the pad surface texture by irradiating the polishing pad 2 with laser light and receiving the reflected light reflected by the surface of the polishing pad 2. The present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the surface texture measuring device 30 includes an arbitrary imaging device that acquires an image of the surface of the polishing pad 2 (that is, the polishing surface 2a), and measures the pad surface properties from the image information of the pad surface acquired by the imaging device. It may be configured to. Examples of the imaging device include an imaging device provided with a CCD image sensor, an imaging device provided with a CMOS image sensor, and an imaging device provided with a TDI (time delay and integration) image sensor. Alternatively, the imaging device may be a video camera device that acquires continuous images (that is, moving images) over time.

Next, the operation of the polishing apparatus provided with the polishing pad surface property measuring apparatus configured as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described. Laser light is emitted from the light source 31 to irradiate the surface of the polishing pad 2 with the laser light. Information on the surface of the polishing pad 2 is measured by receiving the laser beam reflected by the surface of the polishing pad 2. In the calculation unit 40, the reflection intensity distribution obtained by the surface property measuring apparatus 30 of the polishing pad is converted into a spatial wavelength spectrum on the surface of the polishing pad by Fourier transform. Moreover, the calculating part 40 calculates a pad surface property value by calculating a spatial wavelength spectrum. Here, the calculation obtains the pad surface property value by dividing the total reflection intensity in a predetermined spatial wavelength region by the total reflection intensity in a wider spatial wavelength region.

Here, the reflection intensity distribution is a distribution of received light intensity at each light receiving position in a linear or planar light receiving element. A linear or planar CMOS element or CCD element, which is a light receiving element, includes a large number of light receiving pixels and can detect the light receiving intensity for each pixel. The light receiving position changes according to the reflection angle when the irradiated laser light is reflected on the pad surface, and the light receiving intensity changes depending on the pad surface property. That is, by capturing the reflection intensity for each reflection angle according to the pad surface property, a characteristic reflection intensity distribution corresponding to the pad surface property is obtained. The spatial wavelength spectrum is a spectrum obtained by Fourier transforming the reflection intensity distribution, and indicates the distribution of received light intensity for each spatial wavelength on the pad surface. For example, when the measured pad surface has a shape mainly composed of a combination of the wavelength A and the wavelength B, the spatial wavelength spectrum has main peaks at the wavelength A and the wavelength B.

The spatial wavelength spectrum is set so that a sufficiently wide wavelength region is obtained for diffracted light of the order or less including the pad surface properties that affect the CMP performance. It has been found that the order of diffracted light to be acquired is preferably 7th order diffracted light, and practically 4th order diffracted light. When evaluating pad surface properties, we only want to extract the intensity in the spatial wavelength region (= “predetermined”) related to CMP performance. However, the obtained spatial wavelength spectrum generally includes random noise for the entire wavelength region. Therefore, by calculating the ratio of the integrated value of the reflected intensity in the predetermined spatial wavelength region to the integrated value of the reflected intensity in the wider spatial wavelength region, the influence of noise is excluded, and only the reflected intensity in the predetermined spatial wavelength region is obtained. Use a method to evaluate

As described above, the ratio of the integrated value of the reflection intensity in a predetermined spatial wavelength region to the integrated value in a wider spatial wavelength region is obtained, and this is defined as a “wavelength constituent ratio” as an index characterizing the pad surface properties. A larger wavelength composition ratio indicates that the reflection intensity in a predetermined spatial wavelength region is relatively higher, which indicates that the measured pad surface contains more predetermined spatial wavelength components. . Since it has been examined in advance that the magnitude of the predetermined spatial wavelength component has a strong relationship with the CMP performance, the CMP performance can be estimated from the measured wavelength composition ratio of the pad surface.

The control unit 23 obtains the pad surface property value obtained by the calculation unit 40, and calculates a suitable dressing condition by the closed loop control based on the value. For example, the dressing condition is calculated so that the pad surface property value changes within a predetermined range set in advance. At that time, the control unit 23 obtains a relational expression indicating a relation between the dressing condition and the pad surface property value in advance, and obtains a suitable dressing condition from the same expression. Here, the dressing conditions are mainly the polishing pad rotation speed, the dresser rotation speed, the dressing load, the dresser swing speed, and the like. The determined dressing conditions are transmitted to the dressing apparatus 20, and dressing of the polishing pad 2 is performed by applying predetermined dressing conditions.

For example, when the dressing load is to be controlled as a dressing condition, the relationship between the dressing load and the pad surface property is acquired in advance, that is, how much the surface property value increases when the dressing load is increased or Compare the ideal pad surface property value determined in advance with the measured pad surface property value, and if there is a deviation, the dressing load is calculated based on the above relationship. , Set to a direction approaching the ideal pad surface property value.

Further, the pad surface property value obtained by the calculation unit 40 may be used for abnormality detection. In this case, the pad surface property value and its change over time are measured, and if this is outside the predetermined range, it is determined that the pad surface property is abnormal, 1) an abnormality is reported, and 2) dresser replacement is required. Report something, etc.

In one embodiment, the dressing condition is determined by calculating a difference between the measured pad surface property value and a predetermined desired pad surface property value as a desired pad surface property change amount, a dressing load, a dresser rotational speed, The dressing is obtained by substituting the desired pad surface property change amount into a regression equation created by previously obtaining the relationship between the change amount of at least one item of the polishing pad rotation speed and the dresser rocking speed and the change amount of the pad surface property. At least one item of load, dresser rotational speed, polishing pad rotational speed, and dresser swing speed is obtained.

According to the above embodiment, a regression equation representing the relationship between dressing conditions (dressing load, dresser rotation speed, polishing pad rotation speed, dresser rocking speed, etc.) and pad surface property values (wavelength composition ratio) is obtained in advance. By substituting the measured change amount of the pad surface property value, the optimum dressing condition for obtaining the desired pad surface property value can be uniquely obtained.

The regression equation can be expressed as, for example, dR = A × dL + B. Here, dR is the amount of change in pad surface property value (wavelength composition ratio), dL is the amount of change in dressing load, and A and B are constants. According to the dressing condition determination method, the surface property of the pad can be kept constant from the initial use to the final use of the pad. The surface property of the pad changes depending on the amount of pad wear and the sharpness of the dresser from the beginning to the end of use of the pad, and the CMP performance also changes according to the change. Keeping the surface properties of the pad constant leads to keeping the CMP performance constant.

Further, the display device 41 compares the surface property value of the polishing pad 2 obtained by the calculation unit 40 with a preset pad surface property value, and then displays the state of the dresser 22 and the state of the polishing pad 2. It is configured to display at least one. The display device 41 is configured to display at least one of the state of the dresser 22 and the state of the polishing pad 2 based on the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 obtained by the arithmetic unit 40 without making a comparison as described above. May be.

The polishing apparatus was out of range after comparing the surface property value of the polishing pad obtained by the computing unit 40 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) with a preset range of the pad surface property value. In some cases, an abnormality determination unit that determines that the surface property of the polishing pad is abnormal may be provided. If the abnormality determining unit determines that there is an abnormality, the display device 41 (see FIG. 2) reports the abnormality.
The following are typical types of abnormal pad surface properties.
1) An abnormal point (defect) exists on the pad surface.
2) The dressing of the polishing pad is insufficient.
3) The dresser has reached the end of its life.
4) The pad has reached the end of its life.
In the case of 1), when a plurality of pad surface properties are measured, if there is a point that is significantly different from other measurement points, that point is judged as a pad abnormality and is reported.
In the case of 2), if the pad surface property value exceeds an upper limit value of a predetermined range set in advance, it is determined that additional dressing is necessary and a notification is issued.
In the case of 3) and 4), the transition of the pad surface properties is measured over time (for each number of substrates processed), and if this deviates from a predetermined range, it is determined that the life is over and a notification is issued.

As shown in FIG. 4, the surface texture measuring device 30 includes an optical fiber 34, a polarizer 35, an ND filter 36, a mirror 37, a bandpass filter 38, and the like, so that the measurement accuracy can be further improved and the installation flexibility can be increased. It can also be increased. In addition, the laser light emitted from the light source 31 by the polarizer 35 is made S-polarized and then incident on the polishing pad 2, whereby the reflectance on the surface of the polishing pad can be increased. Furthermore, the laser light can be incident on the polishing pad 2 after the ND filter 36 is used to reduce the light amount of the laser light and adjust it to a desired light amount. On the other hand, by installing a band pass filter 38 in the optical path of the reflected light reflected from the surface of the polishing pad 2, only the reflected light within ± 5 nm with respect to the wavelength of the laser light of the light source 31 is allowed to pass. In the present embodiment, a laser beam having a wavelength of 635 nm is used as the laser beam of the light source 31. In this way, by installing the band pass filter 38, only the reflected light within ± 5 nm with respect to the wavelength of the laser light of the light source 31 is allowed to pass, thereby reducing the influence of ambient environmental light that becomes noise. The effect of being able to be obtained.

The internal structure (measurement structure) of the surface texture measuring device 30 is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIGS. For example, the surface texture measuring device 30 may include an optical fiber that guides the laser light emitted from the light source 31 in a desired direction. Thereby, the installation freedom degree of the optical system of the surface property measuring apparatus 30 of a polishing pad can be raised. Furthermore, the mirror 37 of the surface texture measuring device 30 may be configured such that the tilt angle thereof can be changed. By changing the tilt angle of the mirror 37, the angle at which the laser beam is incident on the polishing pad 2 can be adjusted. Furthermore, the light source 31 and / or the light receiving unit 33 may be configured to be swingable. The surface texture measuring device 30 may include a plurality of light sources 31 or a plurality of light receiving units 33.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing still another example of the internal structure (measurement structure) of the surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIG. 5 has an imaging device 39 that acquires image information of the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 instead of the light source 31 and the light receiving unit 33. The imaging device 39 is, for example, a digital camera including a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor or a phase-trapping metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. The imaging device 39 may be a digital camera provided with a TDI image sensor, or may be a video camera that takes a moving image. The imaging device 39 is connected to the control unit 23 via the calculation unit 40.

In this embodiment, the imaging surface 39a of the imaging device 39 faces the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2. That is, the imaging surface 39 a of the imaging device 39 is parallel to the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2. In one embodiment, the imaging device 39 may be arranged such that the imaging surface 39a is inclined with respect to the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 (see the imaging device 39 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5). ). Although not shown, the surface texture measuring device 30 may include a light source that illuminates the polished surface 2 a taken by the imaging device 39.

The surface texture image information of the polishing pad 2 acquired by the imaging device 39 is sent to the calculation unit 40, and the calculation unit 40 calculates the pad surface property value. As described above, the control unit 23 obtains the surface property value obtained by the calculation unit 40, and calculates a suitable dressing condition by closed loop control based on the value. The polishing apparatus was out of range after comparing the surface property value of the polishing pad obtained by the computing unit 40 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) with a preset range of the pad surface property value. In some cases, an abnormality may be reported.

The surface texture measuring device 30 configured as described above is disposed inside the polishing device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the surface texture measuring device 30 arranged inside the polishing apparatus. 7A is a front view of the surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B is a bottom view of the surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIG. 7A. Further, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 7A.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A, the surface texture measuring device 30 has a casing 43. The casing 43 accommodates a measurement structure for measuring the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 therein. The measurement structure housed in the casing 43 includes, for example, the light source 31, the light receiving unit 33, the polarizer 35, the ND filter 36, the mirror 37, the band pass filter 38, and the imaging described with reference to FIGS. The device 39 or the like.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a cutout 44 is formed in the lower portion of the casing 43. In the present embodiment, the notch 44 has a trapezoidal shape defined by two opposing

inclined surfaces

44a and 44b and a connection surface 44c that connects the

inclined surfaces

44a and 44b. As shown in FIG. 7B, a filter 47a having translucency is disposed on one inclined surface 44a, and the polishing pad 2 is irradiated with laser light emitted from the light source 31 through the filter 47a. A light-transmitting filter 47b is also disposed on the other inclined surface 44b, and the light receiving unit 33 receives reflected light from the polishing pad 2 through the filter 47b. Examples of the

filters

47a and 47b include a transparent film or transparent glass. In the present embodiment, the connection surface 44c extends linearly from one inclined surface 44a to the other inclined surface 44b.

The surface texture measuring device 30 has

positioning plates

77 and 78 fixed to the side surface of the casing 43. When the surface texture measuring device 30 is moved to a measurement position (described later) shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A, the

positioning plates

77 and 78 come into contact with the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2. By the

positioning plates

77 and 78, the distance from the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 in the vertical direction to the measurement structure of the surface property measuring device 30 and the angle of the surface property measuring device 30 with respect to the polishing surface 2a can always be kept constant. .

7A, 7B, and 8, the surface texture measuring device 30 may include a nozzle 45 having a tip that protrudes from the connection surface 44c. The nozzle 45 of the surface texture measuring device 30 is connected to a pressurized gas supply line (not shown), and pressurized gas (for example, pressurized nitrogen or pressurized air) is supplied to the polishing pad 2 from the pressurized gas supply line. It is comprised so that it may spray on the grinding | polishing surface 2a. The pressurized gas blown from the nozzle 45 removes a liquid such as a polishing liquid or a dressing liquid on the polishing surface 2a. Thereby, the surface texture measuring device 30 can accurately measure the surface texture of the polishing pad 2.

The nozzle 45 has an arbitrary shape. For example, the nozzle 45 may be a cylindrical nozzle having the same flow path diameter from the front end to the rear end, or a throat portion where the flow passage diameter is gradually reduced, and an enlargement where the flow passage diameter is gradually increased downstream of the throat portion. A laval nozzle having a portion may be used. Alternatively, the nozzle 45 may be a nozzle having a shape in which the flow path diameter gradually decreases or expands toward the tip of the nozzle 45.

As shown in FIG. 8, the nozzle 45 is disposed to be inclined with respect to the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2, and the pressurized gas injected from the nozzle 45 is inclined to the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2. collide. The nozzle 45 is disposed so as to be inclined at an inclination angle θ with respect to a plane P parallel to the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2 so that the pressurized gas flows toward the opening of the notch 44 formed in the casing 43. ing. With such a configuration, the liquid removed by the pressurized gas ejected from the nozzle 45 is prevented from adhering to the

filters

47a and 47b disposed on the

inclined surfaces

44a and 44b of the notch 44, respectively.

As described above, the purpose of injecting the pressurized gas from the inclined nozzle 45 is to remove the liquid such as the polishing liquid or the dressing liquid on the polishing surface 2a while the liquid removed by the pressurized gas is scattered, and the filter It is to prevent adhesion to 47a, 47b and the like. Therefore, the inclination angle θ of the nozzle 45 is set to an optimum inclination angle for achieving the above object. The optimum inclination angle is determined based on, for example, the pressure of the pressurized gas injected from the nozzle 45, the flow velocity, and the like. The optimum tilt angle may be determined based on experiments performed by changing the pressure and / or flow rate of the pressurized gas. This optimum inclination angle is, for example, 60 °. In one embodiment, the nozzle 45 may be rotatably attached to the casing 43. In this case, the inclination angle θ of the nozzle 45 can be changed to the optimum inclination angle according to the pressure and flow rate of the pressurized gas.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged schematic view showing the periphery of the surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the surface texture measuring device 30 for measuring the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 is supported by a support arm 50, and the support arm 50 is attached to a moving unit 53 fixed to the polishing apparatus. Connected. The moving unit 53 is a unit for moving the surface texture measuring device 30 from the retracted position to the measuring position or from the measuring position to the retracted position. That is, the position of the surface texture measuring device 30 is automatically changed from the retracted position to the measured position or from the measured position to the retracted position by the moving unit 53.

In the present embodiment, the measurement position of the surface texture measuring device 30 is defined as the position where the surface texture measuring device 30 is in contact with the polishing pad 2 in order to measure the surface texture of the polishing pad 2. For example, the measurement position of the surface texture measuring device 30 is a position where the

positioning plates

77 and 78 of the surface texture measuring device 30 are in contact with the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2, as shown in FIG. 7A. Further, the retracted position of the surface texture measuring device 30 is defined as a position where the surface texture measuring device 30 is separated from the polishing pad 2.

As shown in FIG. 9, the moving unit 53 includes a fixed block 55 fixed to the polishing apparatus, a rotating block 56 connected to the support arm 50, and the rotating block 56 being rotatable with respect to the fixed block 55. And a rotation mechanism 60 for rotating the rotation block 56 around the axis of the rotation shaft 58. The fixing block 55 is fixed to the frame 48 of the polishing apparatus with a fixing tool (not shown) such as a screw. The support arm 50 that supports the surface texture measuring device 30 is connected to a support plate 52 fixed to a rotation block 56 by a fixing tool (not shown) such as a screw, and rotates via the support plate 52. Connected to block 56. In one embodiment, the support plate 52 may be formed integrally with the rotation block 56. Further, the support arm 50 may be directly connected to the rotation block 56. In this case, the support plate 52 is omitted from the moving unit 53.

The rotation block 56 is connected to the fixed block 55 via the rotation shaft 58. More specifically, the fixed block 55 is formed with a concave portion 55 a, and the rotating block 56 is formed with a convex portion 56 a that is inserted into the concave portion 55 a of the fixed block 55. A through hole (not shown) into which the rotation shaft 58 is inserted is formed in the convex portion 56a. The fixed block 55 has two through holes (not shown) formed on both sides of the concave portion 55a of the fixed block 55, respectively. When the convex portion 56a of the rotating block 56 is inserted into the concave portion 55a of the fixed block 55, the two through holes formed in the fixed block 55 are aligned with the through holes formed in the convex portion 56a of the rotating block 56. Can be arranged on a line. In a state where the convex portion 56a of the rotation block 56 is inserted into the concave portion 55a of the fixed block 55, the rotation shaft 58 is inserted into the two through holes formed on both sides of the concave portion 55a of the fixed block 55 and the convex portion 56a. Insert into the formed through-hole. Thereby, the rotation block 56 is rotatably connected to the fixed block 55.

10 is a view showing the surface texture measuring device 30 moved to the measurement position by the turning mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a view showing the surface moved to the retracted position by the turning mechanism 60 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the property measuring apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the rotation mechanism 60 according to the present embodiment includes a piston 62 connected to a rotation block 56 and a piston cylinder configured to accommodate the piston 62 so as to be able to advance and retract. Mechanism. The tip of the piston 62 is connected to the rotation block 56 via a bracket 70 fixed to the lower surface of the rotation block 56. A through hole (not shown) into which a pin 67 can be inserted is formed at the tip of the piston 62, and a through hole 68 into which the pin 72 inserted into the through hole of the piston 62 can be inserted into the bracket 70. Has been. With the through hole formed at the tip of the piston 62 aligned with the through hole 68 of the bracket, the pin 67 is inserted into the through hole of the piston 62 and the through hole 68 of the bracket, so that the piston 62 is attached to the bracket 70. It connects with the rotation block 56 via. A bracket 70 fixed to the lower surface of the rotation block 56 is rotatably connected to the piston 62.

The cylinder 63 is supported by a base 49 extending from the frame 48 of the polishing apparatus. A fluid supply line (not shown) is connected to the cylinder 63, and fluid (for example, pressurized nitrogen or pressurized air) is supplied to the cylinder 63 through the fluid supply line. The control unit 23 (see FIG. 1) moves the piston 62 up and down by controlling the supply of fluid to the cylinder 63. For example, an on-off valve (not shown) is disposed in the fluid supply line, and the control unit 23 controls the operation of the on-off valve to move the piston 62 up and down. More specifically, when raising the piston 62, the control unit 23 opens the on-off valve and supplies the fluid to the cylinder 63. When lowering the piston 62, the controller 23 closes the on-off valve and stops the supply of fluid to the cylinder 63.

When measuring the surface property of the polishing pad 2, the controller 23 lowers the piston 62 of the rotation mechanism 60. Thereby, the rotation block 56 and the support arm 50 are rotated in the direction in which the surface texture measuring device 30 is moved downward, and the

positioning plates

77 and 78 of the surface texture measuring device 30 are in contact with the polishing pad 2. In this way, the control unit 23 can move the surface texture measuring device 30 to the measurement position shown in FIG. 10 by operating the rotation mechanism 60. In this state, the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 described above are measured, and the dressing conditions are determined. When the controller 23 detects an abnormality of the polishing pad 2 from the surface texture measurement value obtained from the surface texture measuring device 30, the controller 23 reports the abnormality and stops the operation of the polishing apparatus. Also good.

When the measurement of the surface property of the polishing pad 2 is completed and the dressing conditions are determined, the control unit 23 raises the piston 62 of the rotation mechanism 60. Thereby, the rotation block 56 and the support arm 50 are rotated in the direction in which the surface texture measuring device 30 is moved upward, and the surface texture measuring device 30 is separated from the polishing pad 2 (see FIG. 11). In this way, the control unit 23 moves the surface texture measuring device 30 from the measurement position shown in FIG. 10 to the retracted position shown in FIG. 11 by operating the rotation mechanism 60. When measuring the surface property of the polishing pad 2 again, the control unit 23 moves the surface property measuring device 30 from the retracted position shown in FIG. 11 to the measuring position shown in FIG. 10 by operating the rotation mechanism 60. .

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the rotation mechanism. A rotation mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 12 has a motor 59 connected to a rotating shaft 58, and the motor 59 is electrically connected to the control unit 23. The motor 59 is supported by a base 49 extending from the frame 48 of the polishing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the rotation shaft 58 is fixed to the rotation block 56. For example, the rotary shaft 58 has a key (not shown), and a key groove that engages with the key is formed in the convex portion 56 a of the rotation block 56. By inserting the key of the rotating shaft 58 into the key groove of the rotating block 56, the rotating shaft 58 is fixed to the rotating block 56 by the engagement between the key and the key groove.

The control unit 23 controls the operation of the motor 59 to rotate the rotating shaft 58, whereby the rotating block 56 rotates with respect to the fixed block 55. Since the rotation block 56 is connected to the support arm 50 and the surface texture measuring device 30 via the support plate 52, the operation of the motor 59 moves the surface texture measuring device 30 from the retracted position (see FIG. 11) to the measurement position. (See FIG. 10) or vice versa.

As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation block 56 includes a first plate 64 coupled to the support arm 50 via a support plate 52, and a second plate 65 coupled to the fixed block 55 via a rotation shaft 58. You may comprise. The first plate 64 is rotatably connected to the second plate 65 via a rotation pin 66. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the first plate 64 is connected to the second plate 65 by a hinge mechanism 88 including a rotation pin 66. The hinge mechanism 88 includes a first joint 89 fixed to the upper surface of the first plate 64, a second joint 90 fixed to the upper surface of the second plate 65, and the first joint 89 rotating with respect to the second joint 90. The rotary pin 66 is movably connected.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the surface texture measuring device 30 is moved to the maintenance position. The maintenance position is a position where the surface texture measuring device 30 is far away from the polishing pad 2 in order to perform maintenance or replacement of the polishing pad 2. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the hinge mechanism 88 is operated so that the support arm 50 extends in the vertical direction. Thereby, since the surface texture measuring apparatus 30 is positioned far from the polishing pad 2, the maintenance or replacement of the polishing pad 2 can be easily performed.

Although not shown, it is preferable that the polishing apparatus has a fixture that prevents the movement of the support arm 50 when the surface texture measuring device 30 is moved to the maintenance position. The fixing tool prevents the support arm 50 moved to the maintenance position from falling unintentionally. Examples of fixtures include hooks or clamps that are engageable with the support arm 50 moved to the maintenance position.

According to the present embodiment, the control unit 23 controls the operation of the rotation mechanism 60 of the moving unit 53 to move the surface texture measuring device 30 from the retracted position to the measuring position. By using it, the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 can be automatically acquired. The controller 23 determines dressing conditions based on the acquired surface properties. The control unit 23 may issue an abnormality based on the acquired surface properties. As described above, since it is not necessary to perform the attaching / detaching operation of the surface texture measuring device which has been conventionally required, the throughput of the polishing device can be improved and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

The polishing apparatus automatically positions the surface texture measuring device 30 such that the lower surface of the surface texture measuring device 30 is parallel to the surface of the polishing pad 2 when the surface texture measuring device 30 moves to the measurement position. You may have the attitude | position adjustment mechanism to adjust.

FIG. 14A is a schematic front view of the posture adjustment mechanism according to the embodiment, and FIG. 14B is a view taken along line BB in FIG. 14A. 15A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 14A, and FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view of a part of the posture adjustment mechanism corresponding to FIG. 15A when the surface texture measuring device 30 is moved to the retracted position. is there.

As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the posture adjustment mechanism 70 is fixed to the support base 72 connected to the support arm 50 and the upper surface of the surface texture measuring device 30, and passes through the through hole formed in the support base 72. And at least one adjustment pin 73 extending in the direction. In the present embodiment, four adjustment pins 73 are fixed to the upper surface of the surface texture measuring device 30. The support base 72 is directly fixed to the lower surface of the support arm 50. Furthermore, the support base 72 has a flange portion 72a at the lower portion thereof, and four through holes 74 are formed at the four corners of the flange portion 72a. Each adjustment pin 73 extends through each through hole 74 formed in the flange portion 72 a of the support base 72.

As shown in FIG. 15A, the adjustment pin 73 has a pin main body 73a having a diameter Da smaller than the diameter Dp of the through hole 74, and a pin head 73b formed on the top of the pin main body 73a. The pin head 73 b is located above the through hole 74. More specifically, the pin head 73b is located between the support arm 50 and the flange portion 72a of the support base 72 (see FIG. 14A). The pin head 73 b has a diameter Db larger than the diameter Dp of the through hole 74.

As shown in FIG. 15B, when the control unit 23 moves the surface texture measuring device 30 to the retracted position, the lower surface of the pin head 73b comes into contact with the upper surface of the flange portion 72a of the support base 72, thereby the surface texture measuring device. 30 is supported by the support arm 50 via the support base 72. When the controller 23 moves the surface texture measuring device 30 to the measurement position and brings the

positioning plates

77 and 78 of the surface texture measuring device 30 into contact with the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2, the lower surface of the pin head 73 b is on the support base 72. Separated from the flange portion 72a. Thereby, the surface texture measuring device 30 is supported on the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 by its own weight. Therefore, the posture of the surface texture measuring device 30 is adjusted by the posture adjusting mechanism 70 so that the lower surface thereof is parallel to the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the polishing apparatus may have a displacement mechanism 80 that adjusts the horizontal position of the surface texture measuring device 30 along the support arm 50. The displacement mechanism 80 is a mechanism for moving the position in the horizontal direction of the surface texture measuring device 30 along the longitudinal direction of the support arm 50.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view schematically showing the displacement mechanism 80 shown in FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the displacement mechanism 80 includes a long hole 81 extending along the longitudinal direction of the support arm 50 and a support shaft 82 inserted into the long hole 81. A stepped portion 81 a is formed inside the elongated hole 81. The support shaft 82 includes a shaft main body 82 a connected to the surface texture measuring device 30 and a shaft head 82 b that contacts the stepped portion 81 a of the elongated hole 81. In the present embodiment, the support shaft 82 is a bolt that is screwed into a screw hole (not shown) formed on the upper surface of the support base 72, and the surface texture measuring device via the support base 72 and the posture adjustment mechanism 70. 30. In the following description, the support shaft 82 may be referred to as a bolt 82, the shaft main body 82a may be referred to as a bolt main body 82a, and the shaft head 82b may be referred to as a bolt head 82b.

The bolt body 82a of the bolt 82 has a diameter that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 81 and smaller than the width of the stepped portion 81a in the horizontal direction, and the bolt head 82b of the bolt 82 has the elongated hole 81. It has a larger diameter than the width of the step portion 81a. Further, the diameter of the bolt head 82b is smaller than the width of the upper portion of the long hole 81 where the step portion 81a is not formed. Therefore, when the bolt 82 is inserted into the elongated hole 81 from above the support arm 50, the bolt body 82 a can pass through the elongated hole 81 without contacting the stepped portion 81 a of the elongated hole 81. On the other hand, the bolt head 82b cannot contact the step portion 81a of the elongated hole 81 and pass through the step portion 81a.

When the surface texture measuring device 30 is supported by the support arm 50, the bolt 82 is inserted into the elongated hole 81 from above the support arm 50 with the support base 72 being in contact with the lower surface of the support arm 50, and the support base 72. Screw into the screw hole formed in The surface texture measuring device 30 is connected to the support arm 50 via the support base 72 by screwing the bolt 82 into the screw hole of the support base 72 until the bolt head 82b of the bolt 82 contacts the stepped portion 81a. By further screwing the bolt 82 into the screw hole of the support base 72, the support base 72 is firmly fixed to the support arm 50 by the bolt 82, and thereby the horizontal direction of the support base 72 (that is, the surface texture measuring device 30). The position is fixed.

When adjusting (that is, changing) the horizontal position of the surface texture measuring device 30, the bolt 82 is loosened, and the support base 72 (that is, the surface texture measuring device 30) is moved to the desired position along the elongated hole 81. Move. Thereafter, the bolt 82 is screwed into the screw hole of the support base 72 again, and the horizontal position of the surface texture measuring device 30 is fixed.

According to the present embodiment, since the position of the surface texture measuring device 30 in the horizontal direction can be adjusted by the displacement mechanism 80, the surface texture measuring device 30 can be at an arbitrary position (that is, a desired position) of the polishing pad 2. The surface property can be measured.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the displacement mechanism 80. The configuration of the present embodiment that is not specifically described is the same as the configuration of the displacement mechanism 80 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, and thus redundant description thereof is omitted.

In the displacement mechanism 80 shown in FIG. 18, the position of the support base 72 is not fixed to the support arm 50 by a support shaft (bolt) 82. More specifically, the shaft head 82 b of the support shaft 82 is only in contact with the stepped portion 81 a, and the long hole 81 extends along the support arm 50 along the support base 72 (that is, the surface texture measuring device 30). It functions as a guide hole for moving. Furthermore, the displacement mechanism 80 includes a piston cylinder mechanism 83 having a piston 85 connected to the surface texture measuring device 30 and a cylinder 86 that accommodates the piston 85 so as to be able to advance and retract. In the present embodiment, the tip of the piston 85 is connected to the side surface of the support base 72, and the cylinder 86 is fixed to the lower surface of the support arm 50. Further, the cylinder 86 is connected to a fluid supply line (not shown).

The piston 85 can be advanced and retracted along the support arm 50 by a pressurized fluid (for example, pressurized nitrogen or pressurized air) supplied from the fluid supply line to the cylinder 86. By moving the piston 85 along the support arm 50, the horizontal position of the surface texture measuring device 30 connected to the piston 85 via the support base 72 can be adjusted along the support arm 50. The control unit 23 (see FIG. 1) controls the supply of the pressurized fluid supplied to the cylinder 86 to automatically change the horizontal position of the surface texture measuring device 30. Thus, according to the displacement mechanism 80 which concerns on this embodiment, the position of the horizontal direction of the surface texture measuring apparatus 30 can be adjusted automatically.

Although not shown, the displacement mechanism 80 may have a ball screw mechanism for changing the horizontal position of the surface texture measuring device 30 instead of the piston cylinder mechanism 83. Even in this case, the controller 23 can automatically adjust the horizontal position of the surface texture measuring device 30 by controlling the operation of the ball screw mechanism.

The controller 23 moves the surface property measuring device 30 to the measurement position (see FIG. 10) during the polishing of the substrate W or the dressing of the polishing pad 2, and measures the surface property of the rotating polishing pad 2. Also good. As described above, the surface texture measuring device 30 has the

filters

47a and 47b (see FIG. 7B) disposed on the

inclined surfaces

44a and 44b of the casing 43, respectively. During polishing or dressing of the substrate W, a fluid such as a polishing liquid (slurry) or a dressing liquid is supplied onto the polishing pad 2, and this fluid may enter the inside of the casing 43 by the

filters

47 a and 47 b. Is prevented. Therefore, the

filters

47a and 47b can prevent the measurement structure such as the light source 31 and the light receiving unit 33 from being contaminated by the fluid. Furthermore, when the surface texture measuring device 30 has a nozzle 45 (see FIG. 8) that is disposed to be inclined with respect to the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2, by the pressurized gas injected from the nozzle 45, The fluid on the polishing surface 2 a is blown off from the notch 44 to the outside of the surface texture measuring device 30. As a result, even when the substrate W is being polished or dressed, it is possible to more effectively prevent the fluid from adhering to the

filters

47a and 47b and to measure the accurate surface properties of the polishing pad 2.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal structure (measurement structure) of the imaging device 39 shown in FIG. FIG. 19 also illustrates a part of the casing 43 of the surface texture measuring device 30 that houses the imaging device 39. A part of the casing 43 shown in FIG. 19 shows a modification of the notch 44 formed in the lower part of the casing 43 that houses the imaging device 39.

As described above, the imaging device 39 is accommodated in the casing 43 of the surface texture measuring device 30 and acquires image information on the surface texture of the polishing pad 2. An imaging apparatus 39 shown in FIG. 19 includes an image sensor having a photographing surface 39a, a lens mechanism 24 that forms a surface image of the polishing pad 2 on the photographing surface 39a, and an aperture 29. The lens mechanism 24 includes a lens 25 and a focus mechanism (not shown) that moves the lens 25 between the surface of the polishing pad 2 and the imaging surface 39a. By moving the lens 25 by the focus mechanism, an image of the surface of the polishing pad 2 is formed on the imaging surface 39a.

In the present embodiment, the aperture 29 is disposed between the photographing surface 39a and the lens 25. The aperture 29 is used to adjust the visual field size of the imaging device 39 and to remove noise from the background.

Although not shown, an aperture 29 may be provided in the surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIGS. In this case, the aperture 29 is disposed between the polishing surface 2 a and the light receiving unit 33 on the optical path formed between the light projecting unit 32 and the light receiving unit 33. The aperture 29 is used to adjust the diffraction width (the order of the diffracted light) of the laser light reflected from the polishing pad 2 and to remove noise from the background.

In this embodiment, the notch 44 formed in the lower part of the casing 43 of the surface texture measuring device 30 includes two opposing

inclined surfaces

44a and 44b and side surfaces 44d and 44e extending upward from the

inclined surfaces

44a and 44b. And a connection surface 44c that connects the side surfaces 44d and 44e. In the illustrated example, the side surfaces 44d and 44e extend in the vertical direction. In the following description, the side surfaces 44d and 44e are referred to as vertical surfaces 44d and 44e, respectively.

If there is a liquid such as a polishing liquid or a dressing liquid on the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 photographed by the imaging device 39, the imaging device 39 cannot acquire accurate image information of the surface properties of the polishing pad 2. Therefore, pressurized gas is ejected from the nozzle 45 described above to remove the liquid on the polishing surface 2 a photographed by the imaging device 39.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle 45 protrudes from one inclined surface 44a. An opening 27 is formed on one vertical surface 44d, and another opening 28 is formed on the other vertical surface 44e. The openings 27 and 28 are located between the polishing surface 2 a and the lens 25. The opening 27 is configured to inject gas (for example, CDA (clean dry air), dry air, nitrogen, or the like) toward the opening 28, and the opening 28 is configured to allow the gas injected from the opening 27 to flow in. ing. With such a configuration, a gas curtain from the opening 27 toward the opening 28 can be formed. The gas curtain formed between the opening 27 and the opening 28 prevents the liquid scattered by the pressurized gas ejected from the nozzle 45 from reaching the lens 25. Therefore, the imaging device 39 can acquire accurate image information of the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2.

In the example shown in FIG. 19, the opening 27 is parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 19 and is located on a vertical plane passing through the nozzle 45, and the gas from the opening 27 and the pressurized gas from the nozzle 45 are the paper surface of FIG. 19. It is injected in the direction parallel to. However, the opening 27 may be shifted in the horizontal direction from a vertical plane passing through the nozzle 45 in parallel with the paper surface of FIG. Furthermore, the gas from the opening 27 and / or the pressurized gas from the nozzle 45 may be injected in a direction different from the direction parallel to the paper surface of FIG.

Although not shown, a part (for example, the lower part) of the inclined surface 44b facing the nozzle 45 may be formed in a curved surface shape. A part of the surface of the inclined surface 44b formed into a curved surface smoothly discharges the liquid blown off from the polishing surface 2a by the pressurized gas injected from the nozzle 45 to the outside of the casing 43 of the surface texture measuring device 30. It functions as a guide surface. Or you may provide the notch for making it easy to discharge | emit a liquid to the exterior of the casing 43 in the lower part of the inclined surface 44b facing the nozzle 45. FIG.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the surface texture measuring device 30. The configuration of the present embodiment that is not particularly described is the same as the configuration of the surface texture measuring device 30 according to the above-described embodiment, and thus redundant description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 20, the surface texture measuring device 30 includes a barrier 69 connected to the side surface of the casing 43. In the present embodiment, the barrier 69 is attached to the side surface of the positioning plate 78. The lower surface of the barrier 69 contacts the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 when the surface texture measuring device 30 is moved to the measurement position (see FIG. 10). The barrier 69 functions as a fence for preventing fluid such as polishing liquid or dressing liquid supplied on the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2 from reaching the surface property measuring device 30. The barrier 69 according to the present embodiment has an arc shape and guides the fluid flowing on the polishing surface 2a toward the surface texture measuring device 30 along the arc shape of the barrier 69, so that the fluid is on the surface. Reaching the property measuring device 30 is inhibited. Although not shown, the barrier 69 may be attached to the support arm 50.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing a polishing apparatus according to still another embodiment. FIG. 22 is an enlarged schematic view showing the dresser shown in FIG. 21, and FIG. 23 is a plan view schematically showing how the dresser shown in FIG. 21 swings on the polishing pad. The configuration of the present embodiment that is not particularly described is the same as the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and the same or corresponding members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

The polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 21 includes a polishing unit and a dressing apparatus 20 including the polishing table 1, the carrier 10 and the like to which the polishing pad 2 is attached, like the polishing apparatus shown in FIG. A dressing device 20 shown in FIG. 21 includes a dresser arm 21, a dresser 22 rotatably attached to the dresser arm 21, a dresser shaft 91 connected to the dresser 22, and an air cylinder provided at the upper end of the dresser shaft 91. 93. The dresser shaft 91 is rotatably supported by the dresser arm 21 and is rotated by a motor (not shown) disposed in the dresser arm 21. As the dresser shaft 91 rotates, the dresser 22 rotates about its axis. In this embodiment, the dressing member 22a provided in the lower part of the dresser 22 has a ring shape, but the dressing member 22a may have a circular shape.

The air cylinder 93 is connected to a gas supply source (not shown), and is a device that applies a dressing load to the polishing pad 22 to the dresser 22. The dressing load can be adjusted by the air pressure supplied to the air cylinder 93. Further, the dresser 22 can be separated from the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2 by the air cylinder 93. The air cylinder 93 functions as a lift actuator that moves the dresser shaft 91 and the dresser 22 up and down relative to the dresser arm 21. In one embodiment, the ball screw mechanism may be used as a lift actuator that moves the dresser shaft 91 and the dresser 22 up and down relative to the dresser arm 21.

Furthermore, the dressing apparatus 20 includes a support shaft 98 connected to the dresser arm 21 and a motor (rotation actuator) 96 that rotates the support shaft 98. The dresser arm 21 is driven by a motor 96 and is configured to swing around a support shaft 98.

The dressing of the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 is performed as follows. The polishing table 1 and the polishing pad 2 are rotated by a polishing table rotating motor (not shown), and a dressing liquid (for example, pure water) is supplied to the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 from a dressing liquid supply nozzle (not shown). Further, the dresser 22 is rotated around its axis. The dresser 22 is pressed against the polishing surface 2a by the air cylinder 93 to bring the lower surface of the dressing member 22a into sliding contact with the polishing surface 2a. In this state, the dresser arm 21 is swung to move the dresser 22 on the polishing pad 2 in the substantially radial direction of the polishing pad 2. As shown in FIG. 23, the polishing table 1 and the polishing pad 2 thereon are rotated about the origin (the center point of the polishing pad 2) O. On the other hand, the dresser 22 rotates (i.e., swings) by a predetermined angle around a point C corresponding to the center position of the support shaft 98 shown in FIG. The polishing pad 2 is scraped off by a rotating dresser 22, whereby dressing of the polishing surface 2 a is performed.

21 and FIG. 22, the polishing apparatus has a surface texture measuring device 30 attached to the dresser 22. The surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIG. 22 is fixed to the tip of a sub arm 95 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the dresser 22. The sub arm 95 has a substantially L-shaped cross section, and the surface texture measuring device 30 is fixed to the tip of the sub arm 95. The end of the sub arm 95 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the dresser 22. In the present embodiment, the support arm that supports the surface texture measuring device 30 is the dresser arm 21, and the surface texture measuring device 30 is supported by the dresser arm 21 via the sub arm 95, the dresser 22, and the dresser shaft 91. .

The surface texture measuring device 30 shown in FIG. 22 may have the internal structure (measurement structure) described with reference to FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, or described with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. An imaging device 39 may be included. In the following description, the internal structure described with reference to FIG. 3 or 4 may be simply referred to as “the measurement structure”. Furthermore, the surface texture measuring device 30 may have a housing 43 that houses the measurement structure or the imaging device 39. The shape of the housing 43 is arbitrary, but may be the housing 43 described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, for example. Alternatively, the housing 43 may have a cylindrical shape.

In one embodiment, the surface texture measuring device 30 may be accommodated in the sub arm 95. In this case, the measurement structure or the imaging device 39 is disposed in the sub arm 95, and an opening is formed at the tip of the sub arm 95. When the surface texture measuring device 30 has the above measurement structure, the laser light projected from the light projecting unit 32 reaches the surface of the polishing pad 2 through the opening formed in the sub arm 95, and The reflected light reflected from the surface is received by the light receiving unit 33 through an opening formed in the sub arm 95. When the surface texture measuring device 30 includes the imaging device 39, the imaging device 39 acquires image information on the surface of the polishing pad 2 through the opening formed in the sub arm 95.

Furthermore, the surface texture measuring device 30 may have the nozzle 45 described with reference to FIG. As described above, the nozzle 45 is configured to blow a pressurized gas (for example, pressurized nitrogen or pressurized air) onto the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2, and the pressurized gas blown from the nozzle 45. Thus, the liquid such as the polishing liquid or the dressing liquid on the polishing surface 2a is removed. Although not shown, a pressurized gas supply line for supplying pressurized gas to the nozzle 45 is connected to the dresser shaft 91 via, for example, a rotary joint, and the inside of the dresser shaft 91, the dresser 22, and the sub arm 95. Is supplied to the surface texture measuring device 30 through the flow path formed in the above.

As shown in FIG. 22, the surface texture measuring device 30 is separated from the polishing surface 2 a when the dressing member 22 a of the dresser 22 is brought into contact with the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2. In the present embodiment, the position of the surface texture measuring device 30 when the dressing member 22a of the dresser 22 contacts the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 is the measurement position. Since the surface texture measuring device 30 is fixed to the tip of the sub arm 95, the distance between the surface texture measuring device 30 at the measurement position and the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 is always constant. Therefore, the surface texture measuring device 30 can measure the accurate pad surface texture of the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2.

As described above, the air cylinder (elevating actuator) 93 can move the dresser 22 above the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2. In this embodiment, the position where the dressing member 22a of the dresser 22 is spaced upward from the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2 is the retreat position, and the moving mechanism for moving the surface texture measuring device 30 from the measurement position to the retreat position is an air This is a cylinder 93. In one embodiment, after the dresser 22 and the surface texture measuring device 30 are moved upward from the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2 by the air cylinder 93, the dresser 22 and the surface texture measuring device 30 are moved to a motor (rotary actuator) 96. May be moved to the side of the polishing pad 2 (see the dresser 22 shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 23). In this case, the retracted position of the surface texture measuring device 30 is a position on the side of the polishing pad 2, and the moving mechanism is composed of a combination of an air cylinder 93 and a motor 96.

Although not shown, when the dressing member 22a of the dresser 22 is brought into contact with the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2, the surface texture measuring device 30 may be brought into contact with the polishing surface 2a. In this case, the position where the surface texture measuring device 30 is in contact with the polishing pad 2 is the measurement position of the surface texture measuring device 30. The surface texture measuring device 30 is preferably connected to the sub arm 95 via the posture adjusting mechanism 70 described with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B. The posture adjustment mechanism 70 adjusts the posture of the surface texture measuring device 30 in contact with the polishing surface 2 a so that the lower surface thereof is parallel to the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2. In this case, the retracted position of the surface texture measuring device 30 is a position where the surface texture measuring device 30 is separated from the polishing surface 2a of the polishing pad 2, or the dresser 22 and the surface texture measuring device 30 move to the side of the polishing pad 2. Is the position.

The measurement of the pad surface texture by the surface texture measuring device 30 may be performed by moving the surface texture measuring device 30 to the measurement position during polishing of the substrate W or during dressing of the polishing pad 2. In this case, the surface texture measuring device 30 measures the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 while rotating together with the dresser 22.

As shown in FIG. 21, the polishing apparatus includes a rotary encoder 92 that can measure the rotation angle of the dresser 22 via a dresser shaft 91. The rotary encoder 92 can detect the relative position of the rotating surface texture measuring device 30 with respect to the polishing pad 2. More specifically, the surface texture measuring device 30 rotates with the dresser 22 during dressing of the polishing pad 2. In this case, the surface texture measuring device 30 alternately passes above the polishing pad 2 before being dressed by the dresser 22 and above the polishing pad 2 after being dressed by the dresser 22. The surface texture measuring device 30 measures the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 at predetermined time intervals, and transmits the measured value to the control unit 23 (see FIG. 1) every time the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 is measured. ing.

The rotary encoder 92 is also connected to the control unit 23, and the rotary encoder 92 transmits the relative position of the surface texture measuring device 30 to the polishing pad 2 to the control unit 23. Based on the transmitted relative position, the control unit 23 divides the plurality of pad surface property values acquired by the surface property measuring device 30 into a pad surface property value before dressing and a pad surface property value after dressing. . And the control part 23 compares the pad surface property value after dressing with the pad surface property value before dressing, and calculates suitable dressing conditions based on the comparison. For example, the dressing conditions are calculated so that the difference between the pad surface property values before and after dressing changes within a predetermined range set in advance. At that time, the control unit 23 obtains a relational expression indicating the relationship between the dressing condition and the difference between the pad surface property values before and after the dressing in advance, and obtains a suitable dressing condition based on the relational expression.

In one embodiment, the position of the surface texture measuring device 30 when the dressing member 22a is separated upward from the surface of the polishing pad 2 may be set as the measurement position. In this case, the retracted position of the surface texture measuring device 30 is the position of the surface texture measuring device 30 when the dressing member 22a is further away from the surface of the polishing pad 2, or the dresser 22 and the surface texture measuring device 30 are polished. This is the position moved to the side of the pad 2. In the present embodiment, the dressing member 22a and the surface texture measuring device 30 are separated from the surface of the polishing pad 2, and without rotating the dresser 22, from the peripheral edge to the center of the polishing pad 2 via the dresser arm 21. Move. The surface texture measuring device 30 measures the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 at a predetermined time interval while moving from the peripheral edge to the center of the polishing pad 2 together with the dresser 22, and transmits the measured value to the controller 23. . The controller 23 calculates a suitable dressing condition based on the pad surface property value transmitted from the surface property measuring device 30.

FIG. 24A is a schematic view showing a modification of the dresser of the polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 21, and FIG. 24B is a top view of the dresser shown in FIG. 24A. The configuration of the present embodiment that is not particularly described is the same as the configuration of the dresser 22 illustrated in FIG. 21, and thus redundant description thereof is omitted.

A plurality of (two in the illustrated example) surface

property measuring devices

30A and 30B are attached to the dresser 22 of the polishing apparatus shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B. The surface texture measuring devices 30 A and 30 B are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the dresser 22. The sub arm 95 that connects each surface texture measuring device 30 to the dresser 22 has a substantially J-shape, and the end of the sub arm 95 is fixed to the upper surface of the dresser 22.

In this embodiment, the two surface

texture measuring devices

30A and 30B are attached to the dresser 22, but three or more surface texture measuring devices may be attached to the dresser 22. For example, four surface texture measuring devices may be arranged every 90 ° along the outer peripheral surface of the dresser 22. In the following description, the surface

texture measuring devices

30A and 30B may be simply referred to as “surface texture measuring device 30” unless it is necessary to distinguish between them.

Each surface texture measuring device 30 may have the same measurement structure or different measurement structures. For example, some of the plurality of surface texture measuring devices 30 (for example, the surface texture device 30A) are surface texture measuring devices having the measurement structure described with reference to FIG. 3 or FIG. The surface texture measuring device (for example, the surface texture measuring device 30B) may be a surface texture measuring device having the imaging device 39 described with reference to FIGS.

Similar to the above-described embodiment, during the dressing of the polishing pad 2, the plurality of surface texture measuring devices 30 are rotated together with the dresser 22, and each surface texture measuring device 30 is a surface of the polishing pad 2 at a predetermined time interval. The properties are being measured. Each surface texture measuring device 30 transmits the measured value to the control unit 23 every time the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 is measured. Based on the relative position of each surface texture measuring device 30 with respect to the polishing pad 2, the controller 23 obtains a plurality of surface texture measurement values acquired by each surface texture measuring device 30 as pad surface texture values before dressing, and after dressing. The pad surface properties are divided into values. Then, the control unit 23 compares pad surface property values before and after dressing, and calculates suitable dressing conditions based on the comparison. According to the present embodiment, since the plurality of surface texture measuring devices 30 are attached to the dresser 23, the data amount of the difference between the pad surface texture values before and after dressing acquired by the control unit 23 is one surface texture measuring device. Is more than the embodiment attached to the dresser 22. Therefore, the control unit 23 can calculate more suitable dressing conditions.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the dresser shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B. The configuration that is not particularly described is the same as the configuration of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 24A and 24B, and thus redundant description thereof is omitted.

25, three surface

texture measuring devices

30A, 30B, and 30C are attached to the dresser 22 shown in FIG. The two surface texture measuring devices 30 A and 30 B are attached to the outer peripheral surface of the dresser 22 via the sub-arm 95, and the surface texture measuring device 30 C is disposed in the dresser 22. In this embodiment, the dressing member 22a provided in the dresser 22 has a ring shape. That is, the dressing member 22a has a through hole 22b extending from the upper surface to the lower surface. A concave portion is formed in a portion of the lower surface of the dresser 22 where the dressing member 22a is not provided (in this embodiment, the central portion of the lower surface of the dresser 22), and the surface texture measuring device 30C is fitted into the concave portion. Yes.

The surface texture measuring device 30C may have the internal structure (measurement structure) described with reference to FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, or the imaging device 39 described with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. You may have. In one embodiment, the surface texture measurement device 30 C may include a housing that houses the measurement structure or the imaging device 39. For example, the housing has a cylindrical shape. In this case, the surface texture measuring device 30 C is attached to the dresser 22 by engaging the screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing with the screw groove provided on the wall surface of the recess formed on the lower surface of the dresser 22.

The surface texture measuring device 30C measures the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 through the through hole 22b of the dressing member 22a. For example, when the surface texture measuring device 30C has the above-described measurement structure, the laser light projected from the light projecting unit 32 reaches the surface of the polishing pad 2 through the through hole 22b formed in the dressing member 22a. The reflected light reflected by the surface of the polishing pad 2 is received by the light receiving unit 33 through the through hole 22b. When the surface texture measuring device 30C includes the imaging device 39, the imaging device 39 acquires image information on the surface of the polishing pad 2 through the through hole 22b formed in the dressing member 22a.

As shown in FIG. 25, the surface texture measuring device 30C may have the nozzle 45 described with reference to FIG. As described above, the nozzle 45 is configured to blow a pressurized gas (for example, pressurized nitrogen or pressurized air) onto the polishing surface 2 a of the polishing pad 2, and the pressurized gas blown from the nozzle 45. Thus, the liquid such as the polishing liquid or the dressing liquid on the polishing surface 2a is removed. Although not shown, the pressurized gas supply line for supplying the pressurized gas to the nozzle 45 is connected to the dresser shaft 91 via, for example, a rotary joint, and the flow formed in the dresser shaft 91 and the dresser 22 is, for example. It is supplied to the surface texture measuring device 30C via the path.

Thus, in the present embodiment, one surface texture measuring device 30C among the plurality of surface texture measuring devices 30A-30C attached to the dresser 22 is arranged inside the dresser 22. The surface texture measuring device 30C measures the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 while the dresser 22 is dressing the polishing pad 2, for example. The surface texture measuring device 30C is also connected to the control unit 23. The surface texture measuring device 30C measures the surface texture of the polishing pad 2 at predetermined time intervals during dressing of the polishing pad 2, and the measured value. (Pad surface property value) is transmitted to the controller 23.

As described above, the surface

texture measuring devices

30A and 30B measure the pad surface texture values before and after dressing, and transmit the measured values (pad surface texture values) to the control unit 23. Therefore, the control unit 23 can acquire the pad surface property value before and after dressing acquired by the surface

texture measuring devices

30A and 30B and the pad surface property value during dressing acquired by the surface texture measuring device 30C. it can. As a result, the control unit 23 can calculate more suitable dressing conditions based on the pad surface property value during dressing in addition to the pad surface property value before and after dressing.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a polishing system including a polishing apparatus provided with a surface texture measuring device 30. The polishing system 100 shown in FIG. 26 receives the surface property data of the polishing pad 2 obtained using the polishing device described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 25 and the surface property measuring device 30 of the polishing device. And a polishing process generation system 101. A polishing process generation system 101 shown in FIG. 26 includes a repeater 102 that is connected to a polishing apparatus so that information can be transmitted and received, and a processing system 105 that is connected to the repeater 102 so that information can be transmitted and received. Therefore, the polishing apparatus is connected to the processing system 105 via the repeater 102 so that information can be transmitted and received.

In this embodiment, the polishing apparatus includes an output unit 15 that outputs various types of information such as surface property data of the polishing pad 2. As described above, the polishing apparatus acquires the reflection intensity distribution of the polishing pad 2 using the surface texture measuring apparatus 30. The polishing apparatus outputs the obtained reflection intensity distribution as data representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 from the output unit 15. In one embodiment, the polishing apparatus obtains the surface texture value of the polishing pad based on the reflection intensity distribution obtained from the surface texture measuring device 30, and uses the surface texture value as data representing the surface texture of the polishing pad 2. You may output from the output part 15. FIG.

When the surface property measuring device 30 includes the imaging device 39 (see FIGS. 5 and 19), the polishing device uses the image information of the polishing pad 2 obtained from the imaging device 39 as data representing the surface property of the polishing pad 2. Output from the output unit 15. Examples of the image information of the polishing pad 2 acquired by the imaging device 39 include a frame image, a TDI image, a strobe image, and a video image. In one embodiment, a plurality of imaging devices 39 may be arranged in the casing 43 of the surface texture measuring device 30 to acquire a three-dimensional image of the polished surface 2a.

The processing system 105 includes an input unit 107 to which various information such as surface property data of the polishing pad 2 is input, and the dressing condition of the polishing apparatus based on the surface property data of the polishing pad 2 input to the input unit 107. And an output unit 110 that outputs various types of information such as dressing conditions determined by the processing unit 108 to the polishing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the processing system 105 includes a transmission / reception unit in which an input unit 107 and an output unit 110 are integrated. Furthermore, the processing system 105 includes a storage unit 111, and the storage unit 111 can store various types of information such as surface property data of the polishing pad 2 input to the input unit 107.

The processing unit 108 of the processing system 105 calculates the surface property value of the polishing pad 2 based on the surface property data of the polishing pad 2 such as the reflection intensity distribution input to the input unit 107, and based on this value, Calculate suitable dressing conditions. When the surface texture value of the polishing pad 2 obtained based on the reflection intensity distribution obtained from the surface texture measuring device 30 is input to the input unit 107 of the processing system 105, the processing unit 108 inputs to the input unit 107. Based on the surface property value of the polished polishing pad 2, a suitable dressing condition is calculated. When the image information of the polishing pad 2 is input to the input unit 107 of the processing system 105 as data representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2, the processing unit 108 adds the image information of the polishing pad 2 input to the input unit 107. Based on this, a suitable dressing condition is calculated.

The processing unit 108 obtains, for example, a relational expression indicating a relationship between the dressing condition and the pad surface property value in advance, and obtains a suitable dressing condition based on the relational expression. As described above, the dressing conditions are mainly the polishing pad rotation speed, the dresser rotation speed, the dressing load, the dresser swing speed, and the like. The determined dressing conditions are output from the output unit 110 of the processing system 105 to the polishing apparatus via the repeater 102.

The polishing apparatus has an input unit 16 into which various information such as dressing conditions output from the processing system 105 is input. In this embodiment, the polishing apparatus has a transmission / reception unit in which the input unit 16 and the output unit 15 are integrally formed. The control unit 23 of the polishing apparatus performs dressing of the polishing pad 2 according to the dressing conditions input to the input unit 16.

In this embodiment, the polishing process generation system 101 of the polishing system 100 includes a repeater 102 disposed between the processing system 105 and the polishing apparatus. The repeater 102 is a gateway such as a router, for example. The surface property data of the polishing pad 2 output from the output unit 15 of the polishing apparatus is transmitted to the input unit 107 of the processing system 105 via the relay 102. The dressing conditions output from the output unit 110 of the processing system 105 are transmitted to the input unit 16 of the polishing apparatus via the repeater 102.

The repeater 102 receives various information such as dressing conditions output from the processing system 105 and an input unit 134 to which various information such as surface property data of the polishing pad 2 output from the output unit 15 of the polishing apparatus is input. And an output unit 136 that outputs to the input unit 16 of the polishing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the repeater 102 includes a transmission / reception unit in which an input unit 134 and an output unit 136 are integrally formed. Further, the repeater 102 outputs various information such as surface property data of the polishing pad 2 input from the input unit 134 to the input unit 107 of the processing system 105 and from the output unit 110 of the processing system 105. And an input unit 138 for inputting various information such as the outputted dressing conditions. The repeater 102 includes a processing unit 140, and the processing unit 140 controls transmission / reception of information between the polishing apparatus and the repeater 102 and transmission / reception of information between the repeater 102 and the processing system 105. To do.

The polishing apparatus can be connected to the repeater 102 by wireless communication (for example, high-speed WiFi (registered trademark)) or wired communication, and the repeater 102 is wirelessly connected to the processing system 105 (for example, high-speed WiFi (registered trademark)). Or it can be connected by wired communication. In the present embodiment, the polishing apparatus is connected to the processing system 105 and a network (for example, the Internet) via the relay 102.

The polishing system 100 may use the pad surface property value obtained by the processing system 105 or input to the processing system 105 for abnormality detection. In this case, the processing unit 108 of the processing system 105 determines that the pad surface property is abnormal and polishes the abnormal signal when the pad surface property value or its change with time is out of the range of a predetermined value (threshold value). Output to the device. When an abnormal signal is input to the input unit 16, the polishing apparatus issues an abnormality. In this case, the operation of the polishing apparatus may be stopped.

Further, the polishing system 100 indicates whether or not the polishing pad 2 needs to be dressed based on the surface property value of the polishing pad 2 obtained by the processing system 105 or input to the processing system 105. , The need for additional dressing that indicates whether additional dressing of the polishing pad 2 needs to be performed, and dresser replacement may be determined. In this case, the processing system 105 outputs information such as the necessity of dressing, the necessity of additional dressing, and replacement of the dresser to the polishing apparatus, and the polishing apparatus operates according to the input information.

For example, the polishing apparatus acquires the surface property data of the polishing pad 2 after dressing the polishing pad 2, and outputs this data to the processing system 105. The processing system 105 determines whether or not the polishing pad 2 needs to be dressed (that is, the necessity of dressing) based on the surface property data after dressing. The processing system 105 outputs the determined dressing necessity to the polishing apparatus, and the polishing apparatus controls the operation of the dresser based on the input dressing necessity. That is, when information indicating that dressing is necessary is input to the polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus performs dressing of the polishing pad. At this time, the polishing apparatus dresses the polishing pad under suitable dressing conditions output from the processing system 105. When information indicating that dressing is not necessary is input to the polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus starts polishing the next substrate W without performing dressing of the polishing pad.

As described above, the surface property measuring device 30 of the polishing apparatus can acquire the surface property data of the polishing pad 2 during polishing of the substrate W or during dressing of the polishing pad 2. Therefore, the polishing apparatus transmits the surface property data of the polishing pad 2 acquired during the dressing of the polishing pad 2 to the processing system 105, and the processing unit 108 of the processing system 105 performs the surface property of the polishing pad 2 during dressing. Based on the data, the dressing conditions are changed during dressing of the polishing pad 2. The changed dressing conditions are sent to the polishing apparatus, and the polishing apparatus performs dressing of the polishing pad according to the changed dressing conditions.

As shown in FIG. 26, the processing unit 108 of the processing system 105 may have an artificial intelligence (AI) function. In this case, the processing unit 108 uses an artificial intelligence function to predict a suitable dressing condition, the necessity for dressing, the necessity for additional dressing, and the replacement timing of the dresser. The processor 108 performs machine learning or deep learning to evaluate the pad surface properties and pad surface condition so that the processing system 105 can provide suitable dressing conditions, pad surface dressing requirements, additional dressing requirements. The necessity and the dresser replacement time are predicted and output to the polishing apparatus. The processing system 105 continuously accumulates the image information acquired by the pad surface measuring device 30 in the storage unit 111, and can use the accumulated image information as learning data, teacher data, and a learning data set. .

Further, the processing system 105 may be a cloud computing system or a fog computing system constructed outside the factory where the polishing apparatus is installed, or a cloud computing constructed within the factory where the polishing apparatus is installed. It may be a system or a fog computing system.

Such a polishing system 100 is constructed using a neural network form or a quantum computing form as artificial intelligence. In the polishing system 100, data (for example, reflection intensity distribution, image information, etc.) representing the surface property of the polishing pad 2 acquired by the surface property measuring device 30 of the polishing device is processed via a relay 102 such as a router. Transmit to system 105. The processing system 105 performs machine learning or deep learning using an artificial intelligence function, predicts suitable dressing conditions, the necessity of dressing, the necessity of additional dressing, and the timing of dresser replacement, and outputs them to the polishing apparatus. To do.

∙ Teacher data is used in machine learning or deep learning. The processing system 105 includes a storage unit 111, and the storage unit 111 stores teacher data to be compared with the surface property data of the polishing pad 2 input to the input unit 107 in advance. The teacher data includes, for example, the data value of the polishing pad 2 for determining the dressing condition, the threshold value of the data of the polishing pad 2 that requires replacement of the polishing pad 2, and polishing that requires additional polishing or replacement of the polishing pad. The image information of the pad 2 is included. Teacher data used for machine learning or deep learning is, for example, normal data, abnormal data, or reference data.

When normal data is used as teacher data, machine learning or deep learning is performed using normal data as teacher data, and a learned model is created. Data representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 is input from the polishing apparatus to the processing unit 108 of the processing system 105, and processing using the corresponding learned model is performed. Then, the processing unit 108 evaluates the property of the pad surface. The processing unit 108 accumulates image information determined to be equivalent to normal data in the storage unit 111 as additional teacher data, and through learning based on the teacher data and the additional teacher data, suitable dressing conditions, pads The model for predicting the necessity of dressing of the surface and the timing of changing the dresser will be updated. This learned model is used for prediction of the newly inputted surface property data of the polishing pad 2.

When the data representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 input from the polishing apparatus is out of the normal determination conditions of the learned model obtained, the processing unit 108 of the processing system 105 has an abnormality in the polishing pad 2. It is determined that the abnormality is occurring, and abnormality information is output to the polishing apparatus.

Thus, by inputting data representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 such as reflection intensity distribution and image information to the polishing system 100 constructed in the form of a neural network, suitable dressing conditions, necessity of dressing, and addition Pad surface diagnosis results such as the necessity of dressing, dresser replacement time, and abnormality of the polishing pad 2 can be provided. In this case, the polishing system 100 receives data representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 as an input and outputs a pad surface diagnosis result as an output. In learning, a combination of data representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 and normal / abnormal diagnosis can be used as teacher data. Thereby, when there is an abnormality cause in the operation instruction of the operator of the polishing apparatus, it is possible to provide a proposal for improving the operation. Furthermore, an automatic dressing operation can be performed in the polishing apparatus.

Even when the data representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 has a relatively large capacity, the polishing system 100 constructed as artificial intelligence using a neural network form or a quantum computing form can receive a large amount of information. Can be processed. Therefore, the polishing apparatus acquires image information of the polishing pad 2 at a plurality of measurement points on the substrate W using the surface texture measuring apparatus 30.

FIG. 27A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of measurement points of the surface texture measuring device 30, and FIG. 27B illustrates a case where a plurality of pieces of image information of the polishing pad 2 measured at each measurement point illustrated in FIG. 27A is processed. It is an image figure which shows the outline | summary of operation | movement of this grinding | polishing system. In the example shown in FIG. 27A, the surface texture measuring device 30 acquires image information of the polishing pad 2 at 13 measurement points S including the center CP of the substrate W.

As shown in FIG. 27B, the polishing apparatus inputs the image information of the plurality of polishing pads 2 acquired by the surface texture measuring apparatus 30 and the coordinates of the substrate W from which the image information has been acquired, to the processing unit 108. . The processing unit 108 reads the learned model stored in the storage unit 111, performs processing using the learned model on the input image information of the polishing pad 2, and diagnoses the pad surface property corresponding to each coordinate To do. Furthermore, the processing unit 108 outputs pad surface diagnostic results such as suitable dressing conditions, necessity of dressing, necessity of additional dressing, dresser replacement time, and abnormality of the polishing pad 2 to the polishing apparatus.

The polishing system 100 shown in FIG. 26 can output a pad surface diagnosis result at a relatively high speed even when a plurality of pieces of image information of the polishing pad 2 are input. Furthermore, since a plurality of pieces of image information are accumulated as additional teacher data in the storage unit 111, the polishing system 100 can improve the accuracy of the pad surface diagnosis result in a relatively short time.

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing another example in which the polishing system 100 is constructed as artificial intelligence using a neural network form (or quantum computing form). The configuration of the present embodiment that is not specifically described is the same as that of the polishing system 100 shown in FIG.

28, the processing unit 140 of the repeater 102 has an artificial intelligence function (AI). The repeater 102 further includes a storage unit 142 that stores various types of information such as teacher data. In the polishing system 100 shown in FIG. 28, data (for example, reflection intensity distribution, image information, etc.) representing the surface properties of the polishing pad 2 acquired by the surface property measuring device 30 of the polishing device is input to the relay 102 and relayed. The machine 102 performs machine learning or deep learning using the artificial intelligence function, predicts suitable dressing conditions, the necessity of dressing, the necessity of additional dressing, and the dresser replacement time, and outputs them to the polishing apparatus.

The repeater 102 is disposed near the polishing apparatus, and the polishing system 100 is constructed as an edge computing system. That is, in the polishing system 100 according to the present embodiment, the repeater 102 displays pad surface diagnosis results such as suitable dressing conditions, necessity of dressing, necessity of additional dressing, dresser replacement time, and abnormality of the polishing pad 2. It can be processed at high speed and output to a polishing apparatus. For example, even when image information of the polishing pad 2 is acquired at a plurality of measurement points S as shown in FIG. 27A and the image information is input to the repeater 102, the repeater 102 of the polishing system 100 does not have a plurality of pieces of image information. Can be processed at a high speed, and the pad surface diagnosis result can be output to the polishing apparatus immediately. Therefore, even when the dressing conditions are changed during dressing, the repeater 102 can output suitable dressing conditions based on the image information to the polishing apparatus.

On the other hand, information that does not need to be processed at high speed (for example, status information of the polishing apparatus) can be transmitted from the polishing apparatus to the processing system 105 via the relay 102. As a result, the processing unit 140 of the repeater 102 does not need to execute extra information processing, and can process a plurality of pieces of image information at a higher speed.

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which the control unit of the polishing apparatus has an artificial intelligence function. As shown in FIG. 29, the control unit 23 of the polishing apparatus may have an artificial intelligence function. The polishing apparatus has a storage unit 7, and the storage unit 7 stores various types of information such as teacher data.

Data (for example, reflection intensity distribution, image information, etc.) representing the surface property of the polishing pad 2 acquired by the surface property measuring device 30 is input to the control unit 23 of the polishing device, and the control unit 23 uses the artificial intelligence function. Then, machine learning or deep learning is performed to predict suitable dressing conditions, the necessity of dressing, the necessity of additional dressing, and the timing of dresser replacement. Further, the control unit 23 controls the operation of the polishing apparatus according to the predicted suitable dressing conditions, the necessity of dressing, the necessity of additional dressing, and the dresser replacement time.

For example, when the control unit 23 predicts that additional dressing is necessary, the control unit 23 further performs additional dressing after the dressing is completed. The control unit 23 predicts a suitable dressing condition for the additional dressing, and dresses the polishing pad 2 according to the suitable dressing condition.

The above-described embodiments are described for the purpose of enabling the person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs to implement the present invention. Various modifications of the above embodiment can be naturally made by those skilled in the art, and the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be construed in the widest scope according to the technical idea defined by the claims.

The present invention can be used for a polishing apparatus provided with a surface texture measuring device for measuring the surface texture of a polishing pad used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, and a polishing system including such a polishing apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Polishing table 2 Polishing pad 15 Output part 16 Input part 20 Dressing device 22 Dresser 23 Control part 30 Surface texture measuring device 40 Calculation part 43 Casing 44 Notch 45 Nozzle 47 Filter 48 Frame 49 Motor stand 50 Support arm 52 Support plate 53 Movement Unit 55 Fixed block 56 Rotating block 58 Rotating shaft 59 Motor 60 Rotating mechanism 62 Piston 63 Cylinder 64 First plate 65 Second plate 66 Rotating pin 67 Pin 68 Through hole 69 Barrier 70 Posture adjusting mechanism 72 Support base 73 Adjusting pin 74 Through

hole

77, 78 Positioning plate 80 Displacement mechanism 81 Elongate hole 82 Support shaft 83 Piston cylinder mechanism 85 Piston 86 Cylinder 89 First joint 90 Second Yointo 91 dresser shaft 92 rotary encoder 93 an air cylinder (elevating)
95 Sub arm 96 Motor (rotary actuator)
98 Support shaft 100 Polishing system 102 Repeater 105 Polishing process generation system 107 Input unit 108 Processing unit 110 Output unit 111 Storage unit

Claims

A surface texture measuring device for measuring the surface texture of the polishing pad;
A support arm for supporting the surface texture measuring device;
A polishing apparatus comprising: a moving unit connected to the support arm and automatically moving the surface texture measuring device from a retracted position to a measuring position.
The mobile unit is
A fixed block fixed to the polishing apparatus;
A rotating block coupled to the support arm;
A rotating shaft that rotatably connects the rotating block to the fixed block;
The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation mechanism that rotates the rotation block.
3. The polishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotation mechanism is a piston cylinder mechanism including a piston coupled to the rotation block and a cylinder that accommodates the piston so as to advance and retreat.
The rotating shaft is fixed to the rotating block,
The polishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotation mechanism is a motor connected to the rotation shaft.
A position adjusting mechanism for automatically adjusting the posture of the surface texture measuring device so that the lower surface of the surface texture measuring device moved to the measurement position is parallel to the surface of the polishing pad;
The position adjustment mechanism includes a support base disposed below the support arm, and at least one adjustment pin that is fixed to the upper surface of the surface texture measuring device and extends through a through hole formed in the support base. Have
The adjustment pin has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the through hole, extends through the through hole formed in the support base, and is positioned above the through hole, and the diameter of the through hole The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pin head having a larger size.
The polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the surface texture measuring device includes a nozzle that injects pressurized gas obliquely with respect to the polishing surface of the polishing pad.
The surface texture measuring device has a casing that houses a measurement structure for measuring the surface texture of the polishing pad,
A notch is formed in the lower part of the casing,
The polishing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the nozzle injects the pressurized gas so that the pressurized gas flows toward the opening of the notch.
A displacement mechanism for displacing the position of the surface texture measuring device with respect to the polishing pad along the support arm;
The displacement mechanism is
An elongated hole extending along the support arm;
A support shaft inserted into the elongated hole,
The support shaft is in contact with a shaft main body coupled to the surface texture measuring device and a step formed in the elongated hole, and a shaft head that supports the surface texture measuring device coupled to the shaft body. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polishing apparatus includes:
The displacement mechanism further includes a piston coupled to the surface texture measuring device, and a cylinder that accommodates the piston so as to freely advance and retract.
The polishing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a cylinder of the displacement mechanism is fixed to the support arm.
The rotating block includes a first plate connected to the support arm and a second plate connected to the fixed block.
The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second plate is rotatably connected to the first plate by a rotation pin.
A dresser for dressing the surface of the polishing pad;
The surface texture measuring device is attached to the dresser,
The support arm is a dresser arm that rotatably supports a dresser shaft connected to the dresser,
The moving mechanism includes a lift actuator that moves the dresser shaft up and down with respect to the dresser arm, and a rotary actuator that swings a support shaft connected to the dresser arm. Polishing equipment.
The polishing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the surface texture measuring apparatus measures the surface texture of the polishing pad while dressing the polishing pad.
The dressing member provided in the dresser has a ring shape having a through hole extending from the upper surface to the lower surface,
The polishing apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the surface texture measuring apparatus measures the surface texture of the polishing pad through the through hole of the dressing member.
The polishing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a plurality of the surface texture measuring apparatuses are attached to the dresser.
Some of the plurality of surface texture measuring devices are surface texture measuring devices that measure the pad surface texture by irradiating the polishing pad with laser light and receiving reflected light reflected from the surface of the polishing pad. The polishing apparatus according to claim 14.
16. The surface texture measuring device according to claim 14, wherein some of the plurality of surface texture measuring devices are surface texture measuring devices that measure pad surface properties from image information on the surface of the polishing pad acquired by an imaging device. Polishing equipment.
The dressing member provided in the dresser has a ring shape having a through hole extending from the upper surface to the lower surface,
The one of the plurality of surface texture measuring devices measures the surface texture of the polishing pad through the through hole of the dressing member. Polishing equipment.
A polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17,
A processing system for inputting data on the surface property of the polishing pad obtained by using the surface property measuring device of the polishing apparatus,
The processing system includes:
An input unit for inputting data of the surface property of the polishing pad output from the polishing apparatus;
Based on the surface property data of the polishing pad input to the input unit, a processing unit that determines dressing conditions of the polishing apparatus;
An output unit that outputs the dressing conditions determined by the processing unit to the polishing apparatus,
The polishing system, wherein the polishing apparatus is configured to dress the polishing pad based on a dressing condition output from the output unit.
The processing system further includes a storage unit that stores teacher data for determining the dressing conditions in advance,
The polishing system according to claim 18, wherein a processing unit of the processing system determines a dressing condition of the polishing apparatus based on the teacher data.
The polishing apparatus transmits the surface property data of the polishing pad acquired after dressing of the polishing pad to the input unit of the processing system,
The processing unit of the processing system determines necessity of dressing, necessity of additional dressing, and replacement of a dresser based on surface property data of the polishing pad after the dressing. 20. The polishing system according to 19.
The polishing apparatus transmits surface property data of the polishing pad acquired during dressing of the polishing pad to an input unit of the processing system,
21. The processing unit of the processing system changes the dressing condition during dressing of the polishing pad based on surface property data of the polishing pad during dressing. The polishing system according to item.
The polishing system according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the processing system is connected to the polishing apparatus via a network.