Mosel Vitelic Corporation

Aplex, Inc.

Other

Prysm, Inc.

Aplex Group

Vertical Solutions, Inc.

David E Weldon

Shu-Hsin Kao

Shou-sung Chang

Tim H Huynh

Gregory C Lee

Linh X Can

Ethan C Wilson

Charles J Regan

Scot Clifford Fairchild

Huey M Tzeng

Gregory A Appel

William F Lapson

James A Allen

Jade Jaboneta

Garry K Kwong

Peter Mok

H Alexander Anderson

Tsungnan Cheng

Siyuan Yang

Michael Leach

Jeffrey M Fontana

Harry Lee

Greg Simon

James G Sackett

Jeffrey M L Fontana

Luis Lau

Large format display systems are described that are reconfigurable between an open configuration designed for performing maintenance on the system and a closed configuration designed for normal operations of the display system. In the closed configuration, the display screen is intentionally subjected to a substantial amount of tensile force to advantageously stabilize the display screen. That substantial tensile force is generated by a sturdy stationary frame that the display screen is anchored against in the closed configuration. When the display system is reconfigured to the open configuration, the display system is no longer anchored against the stationary frame. The process of reconfiguring the display system from the closed configuration to the open configuration includes relieving most of the tensile force applied to the display screen using adjustable tensioning mechanisms of the display systems.

Large display systems with screen tension adjustability

A polishing system such as a chemical mechanical belt polisher includes a hydrostatic fluid bearing that supports polishing pads and incorporates one or more of the following novel aspects. One aspect uses compliant surfaces surrounding fluid inlets in an array of inlets to extend areas of elevated support pressure around the inlets. Another aspect modulates or reverses fluid flow in the bearing to reduce deviations in the time averaged support pressure and to induce vibrations in the polishing pads to improve polishing performance. Another aspect provides a hydrostatic bearing with a cavity having a lateral extent greater than that of an object being polished. The depth and bottom contour of cavity can be adjusted to provide nearly uniform support pressure across an area that is surrounded by a retaining ring support. Changing fluid pressure to the retaining ring support adjusts the fluid film thickness of the bearing. Yet another aspect of the invention provides a hydrostatic bearing with spiral or partial cardiod drain grooves. This bearing has a non-uniform support pressure profile but provides a uniform average pressure to a wafer that is rotated relative to the center of the bearing. Another aspect of the invention provides a hydrostatic bearing with constant fluid pressure at inlets but a support pressure profile that is adjustable by changing the relative heights of fluid inlets to alter local fluid film thicknesses in the hydrostatic bearing.

Polishing system including a hydrostatic fluid bearing support

A buffer apparatus includes a vertically moving mechanism containing a plurality of horizontally moving mechanisms to store carriers and transfer carriers to and from a load port, and one or more buffer load ports adjacent to the buffer apparatus to charge and uncharge the buffer apparatus by means of a guided vehicle, an overhead vehicle, or a human. A buffer system includes a buffer apparatus and a processing system load port to transfer carriers from the buffer apparatus to a processing system load port. An arrayed buffer system includes a plurality of buffer systems where each buffer system interacts with an individual set of load ports or a pair of buffer systems interacts with a shared set of load ports. A combination of arrayed buffer systems includes a plurality of adjacent arrayed buffer systems capable of sharing a single, environmental front-end mechanism maintenance space and capable of being serviced from the front.

Local store for a wafer processing station

Hydrostatic fluid bearing support with adjustable inlet heights

Conditioner assembly and a conditioner back support for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus

Polishing pads are provided for a linear chemical mechanical polishing apparatus used in manufacturing integrated circuits. The polishing pads, which are attached to a polishing belt, are grooved in patterns to advantageously transport slurry from the point of introduction to the point at which semiconductor wafers are polished. The patterns include at least one set of multiple parallel grooves extending across the polishing pads. The grooves form an angle with the direction of travel of the belt that is unequal to zero.

Polishing pad shaping and patterning

An improved wafer polishing machine is disclosed. In one embodiment, the wafer polishing machine has a movable polishing surface and a holder that holds an object, such as a semiconductor wafer, against the movable polishing surface. The holder includes a support structure that supports the object in contact with the polishing surface and an annular retaining ring that retains the object in alignment with the support structure. The retaining ring has a plurality of projections projecting inwardly from its inner circumference. The projections are evenly spaced around the inner circumference of the retaining ring. In one embodiment, the projections on the retaining ring define a circle with a diameter no less than the diameter of the object being polished. In an alternative embodiment, the retaining ring has a smooth, circular inner circumference formed from a flexible material which distends to from a continuous arc of contact with the wafer during polishing. Each retaining ring disclosed herein forms multiple points of contact or a continuous arc of contact between the retaining ring and the wafer, thereby reducing wafer buckling during polishing and improving surface uniformity.

Retaining ring for wafer polishing

A polishing system such as a chemical mechanical belt polisher includes a hydrostatic fluid bearing that supports polishing pads and incorporates one or more of the following novel aspects. One aspect uses compliant surfaces surrounding fluid inlets in an array of inlets to extend areas of elevated support pressure around the inlets. Another aspect of the invention provides a hydrostatic bearing with spiral or partial cardiod drain grooves. This bearing has a non-uniform support pressure profile but provides a uniform average pressure to a wafer that is rotated relative to the center of the bearing.

A polishing head for a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus. The polishing head includes a backplate, a retaining ring supported by the backplate, and a bladder member encircled by the retaining ring. The backplate of the polishing head comprises a driving plate biasedly coupled to a subcarrier by a bellows. The polishing head may further include a lift plate disposed on the subcarrier and beneath the bladder member. A method for polishing a substrate includes placing a substrate on the bladder member and positioning the substrate against a polishing pad such that the bladder member applies a selected pressure profile on the substrate.

Polishing head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus

A polishing tool uses a seal cavity containing a fluid that supports polishing pads against an object being polished. The boundaries of the cavity include a support structure, a portion of a polishing material, and a seal between the support structure and the polishing material. The polishing material moves relative to the support structure and seal. A variety of seal configurations can maintain the fluid within the cavity. In one embodiment the seal mechanism is a labyrinth seal including multiple ridges. In one embodiment, the seal mechanism is a face-sealing seal which includes a jacket with a u-shaped cross section with a compressible element positioned within it. The face-sealing seal is in a groove positioned outside of the cavity. Alternatively, the face-sealing seal forms the outer edge of the cavity. In a further embodiment, the seal is an o-ring seal positioned within a double dove-tailed groove.

Seal for polishing belt center support having a single movable sealed

Polishing method using a hydrostatic fluid bearing support having

A conditioner assembly and a conditioner back support for conditioning a polishing pad of a chemical mechanical polishing device. The conditioner assembly comprises a conditioning head having a gimbal assembly, a shaft engaged to the conditioning head, and a linear torque bearing assembly slidably receiving the shaft. The linear torque bearing assembly is configured to operatively rotate the shaft assembly contemporaneously with allowing the shaft to extend and retract from a first open end of the linear torque bearing assembly. The conditioner assembly additionally comprises a bellows secured over the first open end and engaged to the conditioning head and a bearing housing disposed over a second open end of the linear torque bearing assembly. The bearing housing rotatably supports the linear torque bearing assembly such that a motor assembly can operatively drive the linear torque bearing assembly, the shaft, and the conditioning head. The conditioner back support respectively opposes the conditioner assembly such that the polishing belt supporting the polishing pad is disposed intermediate to the conditioner back support and the conditioner assembly. The conditioner back support comprises a frame assembly which adjustably support a backing plate. The frame assembly comprises a positioning assembly which allows a user to adjust the position of the backing plate. The position of the backing plate can be adjusted such that a front surface of the backing plate is parallel to and disposed on or proximal to a plane defined by a backside of the polishing belt. As a result, when the conditioner assembly compresses against the polishing pad, the polishing pad does not significantly deflect. The conditioner back support further includes a polymeric compound disposed on the front surface of the backing plate for reducing the frictional force between the backing plate and the polishing belt.

Conditioner assembly for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus

Heat is transferred between a linear CMP belt and an adjacent heat transfer source, providing a predetermined lateral temperature distribution across the belt. Temperature sensors generate feedback signals to control the heat transfer sources. Alternatively, process monitoring sensors provide feedback signals. The heat transfer source can include multiple selectively controllable individual heat transfer sources having differing temperatures, which can be above or below ambient temperature. The mechanism of heat transfer can include one or more of convection, conduction, and radiation. The configuration provides substantial flexibility to establish and maintain selective non-uniform temperature distributions across the polishing belt. This in turn permits precise control and stability of the polishing process. Heat transfer sources can include pulleys, slurry dispensers, polishing pad conditioners or conditioner back supports, fluid nozzles, and sealed fluid cavity belt supports.

Temperature regulation in a CMP process

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

David E Weldon