International Business Machines Corporation

Ben Kim

James Aloysius Hagan

Wei-Tsu Tseng

Adam D Ticknor

Manoj Balachandran

Deoram Persaud

William Alfred Syverson

Frederick William Kern, Jr

Glenn Walton Gale

Joel M Sharrow

Jeffrey Alan Brigante

Maurice R Hevey

Processes and apparatuses are disclosed for detecting and characterizing SiCOH-based dielectric materials during integrated circuit fabrication. The processes generally include chromatographically analyzing a fluid stream generated during a process employed for device fabrication, e.g., during a wet strip, a chemical mechanical planarization process and the like.

Detection and characterization of SiCOH-based dielectric materials during device fabrication

The present invention is an apparatus and method for extending the life of abrasive disks used in the conditioning of polishing pads used in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of polishing pads used to polish and/or planarize the surfaces of semiconductor wafers during the production of integrated circuits. The invention consists of the a disk comprising a plurality of abrasive segments, each of which is fixed in tangential and radial relationship to one another about the common axis of rotation of the conditioning disk. Means are provided for movement of the abrasive segments, individually or in sets, into or out of the plane of the active abrasive surface of the conditioning disk according to the present invention.

Extended life conditioning disk

A method for removing one or more particles from a surface of an object is provided. The method has first and second steps of detecting and locating the one or more particles on the surface of the object. In a third step, focused energy is directed onto one or more of the detected particles to break a bond energy between the one or more particles and the surface thereby removing the one or more particles from the surface. In preferred variations of the method of the present invention, the object is a semiconductor wafer and the directed focused energy is in the form of a laser. Also provided is an apparatus for removing the plurality of particles from the surface of the object. The apparatus includes a detector for detecting and locating the plurality of particles on the surface of the object, and a laser for directing focused energy on one or more of the detected particles to break a bond energy between the one or more particles and the surface thereby removing the one or more particles from the surface.

Method and apparatus for combined particle location and removal

An apparatus and method are provided for cleaning (removing) contaminating particles and/or films from substrate surfaces such as semiconductor wafers during the fabrication process for making electronic components. The method and apparatus use a liquified gas contained in a distributor which has been energized with megasonic energy in the distributor and the energized liquefied gas directed as a stream against the surface to be cleaned from an outlet distribution nozzle of the distributor. The stream is preferably impinged on the substrate surface at an acute angle. The preferred liquified gas is carbon dioxide.

Cleaning with liquified gas and megasonics

Growing community of inventors

Wappingers Falls, NY, United States of America

Ben Kim