Applied Materials, Inc.

Huanbo Zhang

Charles C Garretson

Jeonghoon Oh

Eric Lau

Garrett Ho Yee Sin

Hung Chih Chen

Gautam Shashank Dandavate

Samuel Chu-Chiang Hsu

Zhize Zhu

Yin Yuan

Brian J Brown

Thomas H Osterheld

Andrew J Nagengast

Anand N Iyer

King Yi Heung

Nathan Bohannon

Qing Zhang

Benjamin Cherian

David Masayuki Ishikawa

Erik S Rondum

Jie Diao

Thomas Li

Christopher Heung-Gyun Lee

Wei-Cheng Lee

Chia-Ling Pai

Niraj Prasad

Julio David Muzquiz

Steven M Zuniga

Wei-Yung Hsu

Edwin C Suarez

Mario David Silvetti

Benjamin A Bonner

Christopher W Smith

Deepak N Kumar

Yong-Sik R Kim

Generating a recipe for a polishing process includes receiving a target removal profile that includes a target thickness to remove for a plurality of locations spaced angularly around a center of a substrate, storing a first function providing substrate orientation relative to the carrier head over time, storing a second function defining a polishing rate below a zone of the zone as a function of one or more pressures of one or more zones from a plurality of pressurizable zones of the carrier head that are spaced angularly around the center of the substrate, and for each particular zone of the plurality of zones, calculating a recipe defining a pressure for the particular zone over time. Calculating the recipe includes calculating an expected thickness profile after polishing from the second function defining the polishing rate and the first function providing substrate orientation relative to the zone over time, and applying a minimizing algorithm to reduce a difference between the expected thickness profile and the target thickness profile.

Control of processing parameters for substrate polishing with substrate precession

Generating a recipe for controlling a polishing system includes receiving a target removal profile that includes a target thickness to remove for a plurality of locations on a substrate that are angularly distributed around the substrate, and storing a first function defining a polishing rate for a zone from a plurality of pressurizable zones of a carrier head that are angularly distributed around a the carrier head. The first function defines polishing rates as a function of pressures. For each particular zone of the plurality of zones a recipe defining a pressure for the particular zone over time is calculated by calculating an expected thickness profile after polishing using the first function, and minimizing a cost function that incorporates a first term representing a difference between the expected thickness profile and a target thickness profile.

Control of processing parameters for substrate polishing with angularly distributed zones using cost function

A method for chemical mechanical polishing includes receiving an angular removal profile for a carrier head and an angular thickness profile of a substrate. Prior to polishing the substrate, a desired angle of the carrier head relative to the substrate is selected for loading the substrate into the carrier head. Selecting the desired angle is performed based on a comparison of the angular removal profile for the carrier head and the angular thickness profile of the substrate to reduce angular non-uniformity in polishing. The carrier head is rotated to receive the substrate at the desired angle, the substrate is transferred to the carrier head and loaded in the carrier head with the carrier head at the desired angle relative to the substrate, and the substrate is polished.

Asymmetry correction via oriented wafer loading

A retaining ring includes a generally annular body having an inner surface to constrain a substrate, an outer surface, and a bottom surface. The bottom surface has a plurality of channels extending from the outer surface to the inner surface and a plurality of islands separated by the channels and providing a contact area to contact a polishing pad. Each channel includes a recessed region adjacent the outer surface such that the channel is deeper in the recessed region than in a remainder of the channel. The recessed region and the remainder of the channel each have substantially uniform depth.

Retaining ring for CMP

Embodiments herein relate to a retaining ring for use in a polishing process. The retaining ring includes an annular body having an upper surface and a lower surface. An inner surface is connected to the upper surface and the lower surface. The inner surface includes one or more surfaces that are used to retain a substrate during processing. The one or more surfaces have an angle relative to a central axis of the retaining ring. The inner surface also includes a plurality of facets. Channels are disposed within the retaining ring to allow passage of a polishing fluid from an inner surface to an outer surface of the retaining ring disposed opposite of the inner surface.

Retaining ring design

A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a metrology station having a sensor configured to measure a thickness profile of a substrate, a robotic arm configured to transfer the substrate from the metrology station to a polishing station having, a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface, a carrier head on the polishing surface, the carrier head having a membrane configured to apply pressure to the substrate in the carrier head, and a controller configured to receive measurements from the sensor and configured to control the robotic arm to orient the substrate in the carrier head according to substrate profile and a removal profile for the carrier head.

A retaining ring for a polishing process is disclosed. The retaining ring includes a body comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, and a sacrificial surface disposed on the lower portion, the sacrificial surface comprising a negative tapered surface having a taper height that is about 0.0003 inches to about 0.00015 inches.

Methods and apparatus for profile and surface preparation of retaining rings utilized in chemical mechanical polishing processes

A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polisher includes a base, a substrate mounting surface, an annular inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring has a lower surface configured to contact an upper surface of a substrate positioned on the substrate mounting surface, an outer surface, and an inwardly facing surface extending downwardly from the lower surface and is configured to circumferentially surround the edge of the substrate, the inner ring vertically movable relative to the substrate mounting surface. The outer ring has an inner surface circumferentially surrounding the inner ring, an outer surface, and a lower surface to contact the polishing pad, and the outer ring is vertically movable relative to and independently of the substrate mounting surface and the inner ring.

Inner retaining ring and outer retaining ring for carrier head

Values are selected for a plurality of controllable parameters of a chemical mechanical polishing system that includes a carrier head with a plurality of zones to apply independently controllable pressures on a substrate. Data is stored relating variation in removal profile on a front surface of the substrate to variation in the controllable parameters, the data including removal at a plurality of positions on the front surface of the substrate, there being a greater number of positions than chambers. A value is determined for each parameter of the plurality of controllable parameters to minimize a difference between a target removal profile and an expected removal profile calculated from the data relating variation in removal profile on a front surface of the substrate to variation in the parameters. The value for each parameter of the plurality of controllable parameters is stored.

Selection of polishing parameters to generate removal or pressure profile

A retaining ring includes a generally annular body having an inner surface to constrain a substrate and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a plurality of channels extending from an outer surface to the inner surface, and a plurality of islands separated by the channels and providing a contact area to contact a polishing pad, wherein the contact area is about 15-40% of a plan area of the bottom surface.

An inner ring for a carrier head has an inner surface configured to circumferentially surround the edge of a substrate positioned on the substrate mounting surface, an outer surface, and a lower surface to contact a polishing pad. An outer ring for a carrier head has an inner surface circumferentially surrounding the inner ring, an outer surface, and a lower surface to contact the polishing pad.

Selection of polishing parameters to generate removal profile

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Huanbo Zhang