Novellus Systems Incorporated

Speedfam-ipec Corporation

David T Marquardt

John F Stumpf

James Jed Crawford

Stephen C Schultz

John Derwood Herb

Edmund Minshall

Robert Marshall Stowell

Brian Severson

Timothy Patrick Cleary

Rand Conner

Michael D Smigel

Wayne Lougher

Kevin Bertsch

Antoni F Jakubiec

Franklin D Root

Jasent Montano

Joe E Koeth

James Ekberg

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a load cup mechanism is provided for loading and unloading apparatus such as a CMP apparatus. The load cup mechanism, configured to load a work piece into and to unload a work piece from the apparatus, comprises a load cup arm configured to pivot about an axis between a load position aligned with the apparatus and an off-load position. A work piece platform is coupled to an end of the load cup arm and a plurality of lift fingers and a plurality of guide fingers, configured to support and center a work piece, are spaced about the work piece platform. A plurality of guide posts are spaced apart about the periphery of the work piece platform and are configured to align the work piece platform, in the load position, to the processing apparatus.

CMP apparatus and load cup mechanism

Methods and apparatus are provided for the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of a surface of a work piece. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the apparatus comprises a plurality of CMP systems, a plurality of load cups for loading unprocessed work pieces into and unloading processed work pieces from the plurality of CMP systems, a plurality of cleaning stations for cleaning processed work pieces unloaded from the CMP systems, and a single robot configured to transfer unprocessed work pieces to the plurality of load cups and to transfer processed work pieces from the load cups to the plurality of cleaning stations.

CMP apparatus and method

A wear ring assembly is provided for use in a workpiece (e.g. a semiconductor wafer) polishing apparatus. The wear ring assembly comprises a wear element and a backing ring. The backing ring includes a fulcrum and is configured to transfer a component of pressure applied to the backing ring to the wear element via the fulcrum. In this manner, a substantially uniform vertical displacement of the wear ring is achieved.

Wear ring assembly

A laminated wear ring for a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) apparatus provides improved control of the removal rate of material from the edge of a wafer during a polishing/planarization operation. The laminated wear ring includes a high stiffness stainless steel base and a plastic laminate. The high stiffness stainless steel base avoids flexing of the wear ring during polishing and thus provides control of the flexing of a polish pad against which the wafer surface is pressed. The plastic laminate protects the stainless steel base from attack by the polishing slurry and provides a buffer that protects the stainless steel base from mechanically damaging the wafer and vice versa.

Laminated wear ring

Growing community of inventors

Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

David T Marquardt