Abrading – Abrading process – With tool treating or forming
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-09
2003-01-14
Morgan, Eileen P. (Department: 3723)
Abrading
Abrading process
With tool treating or forming
C451S443000, C451S494000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06506101
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to methods and devices for releasably attaching polishing pads to the platens of chemical-mechanical planarization machines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Chemical-mechanical planarization (“CMP”) processes remove material from the surface of a semiconductor wafer in the production of integrated circuits.
FIG. 1
schematically illustrates a CMP machine
10
with a platen
20
, a wafer carrier
60
, a polishing pad
40
, and a planarizing liquid
41
on the polishing pad
40
. The polishing pad
40
may be a conventional polishing pad made from a continuous phase matrix material (e.g., polyurethane), or it may be a fixed abrasive polishing pad made from abrasive particles fixedly dispersed in a suspension medium. The planarizing liquid
41
may be a conventional CMP slurry with abrasive particles and chemicals that etch and/or oxidize the wafer, or the planarizing liquid
41
may be a planarizing solution without abrasive particles that contains only chemicals to etch and/or oxidize the surface of the wafer. In most CMP applications, conventional CMP slurries are used on conventional polishing pads, and planarizing solutions without abrasive particles are used on fixed abrasive polishing pads.
The CMP machine
10
also has an underpad
25
attached to an upper surface
30
of the platen
20
and the lower surface of the polishing pad
40
. In one type of CMP machine, a drive assembly
50
rotates the platen
20
as indicated by arrow A. In another type of CMP machine, the drive assembly reciprocates the platen back and forth as indicated by arrow B. Since the polishing pad
40
is attached to the underpad
25
, the polishing pad
40
moves with the platen
20
.
The wafer carrier
60
has a lower surface
63
to which a wafer
12
may be attached, or the wafer
12
may be attached to a resilient pad
64
positioned between the wafer
12
and the lower surface
63
. The wafer carrier
60
may be a weighted, free-floating wafer carrier, or an actuator assembly
61
may be attached to the wafer carrier to impart axial and/or rotational motion (indicated by arrows C and D, respectively).
To planarize the wafer
12
with the CMP machine
10
, the wafer carrier
60
presses the wafer
12
face-downward against the polishing pad
40
. While the face of the wafer
12
presses against the polishing pad
40
, at least one of the platen
20
or the wafer carrier
60
moves relative to the other to move the wafer
12
across the planarizing surface
42
. As the face of the wafer
12
moves across the planarizing surface
42
, the polishing pad
40
and the planarizing liquid
41
continually remove material from the face of the wafer
12
.
CMP processes must consistently and accurately produce a uniform, planar surface on the wafer to enable precise circuit and device patterns to be formed with photolithography techniques. As the density of integrated circuits increases, it is often necessary to accurately focus the critical dimensions of the photo-patterns to within a tolerance of approximately 0.1 &mgr;m. Focusing photo-patterns of such small tolerances, however, is difficult when the planarized surface of the wafer is not uniformly planar. Thus, CMP processes must create a highly uniform, planar surface.
One problem with conventional CMP processing techniques is that the planarized surface of the wafer may not be sufficiently uniform due to non-uniformities that may develop in the planarizing surface of the polishing pad during planarization. One conventional approach to addressing this problem is to firmly attach the polishing pad to the platen to decrease the likelihood that the polishing pad will warp or wrinkle as the wafer carrier and substrate move across the planarizing surface. For example, in one conventional approach, the polishing pad may be attached to the platen with a high-strength adhesive. One drawback with this approach is that the planarizing surface of the polishing pad typically wears out during normal use and the polishing pad must therefore be replaced. It may be difficult and time consuming to remove the polishing pad and the high-strength adhesive from the platen, rendering the CMP machine inoperable for extended periods of time.
One conventional approach to addressing the foregoing problem is to manufacture a sheet of polishing pad material and stretch it across the platen from one side to the other. As the polishing pad wears, it is incrementally moved across the platen in the manner of a conveyor belt to present an unworn planarizing surface to the wafer. Such a device is manufactured by Obsidian, Inc. of Fremont, Calif. One problem with this approach is that the tension in the sheet may not be sufficient to keep it flat against the platen. Accordingly, the sheet may tend to wrinkle or fold upon itself under the pressure exerted by the wafer carrier and the wafer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward a method and apparatus for releasably attaching a planarizing medium to a chemical-mechanical planarization machine. The apparatus can comprise a support and a platen having an engaging surface with one or more vacuum apertures sized and shaped to be coupled to a vacuum source. A planarizing medium can be tightly drawn against the engaging surface of the platen when the vacuum source applies a vacuum to the vacuum apertures. The planarizing medium can include a polishing pad having a generally non-porous surface that seals against the engaging surface of the platen. Alternatively, the planarizing medium can include a porous polishing pad adhesively attached to a pad support. The pad support may have a generally non-porous surface opposite the polishing pad that seals against the platen when the vacuum source is activated. In yet another alternative aspect of the invention, the polishing pad and the pad support can be supported, for example, in a support jig, to condition the polishing pad. In still another alternative aspect of the invention, a signal can be applied to the platen to attract the polishing pad toward the platen via electrostatic or electromagnetic forces.
The platen may be movable relative to the support and may include a lip to prevent the planarizing medium from separating from the platen if the vacuum source is deactivated while the platen is still in motion. The platen may also include a releasable stop to further engage the planarizing medium. Alternatively, the platen may be replaced by a base that is fixed relative to the support and the apparatus may further include a supply device and a take-up device that advance an elongated planarizing medium across the base. During planarization, the vacuum source draws the planarizing medium against the base. When the planarizing medium becomes worn (or for other reasons), the vacuum source or charge source may be deactivated and the planarizing medium may be advanced across the base to expose a different portion of the planarizing medium to the semiconductor substrate.
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Doan Trung Tri
Moore Scott E.
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Morgan Eileen P.
LandOfFree
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