Luxtron Corporation

Aplex, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Mosel Vitelic Corporation

Huey M Tzeng

David E Weldon

Shou-sung Chang

Gregory C Lee

Mei H Sun

Neal Bertram Schirle

Herbert E Litvak

Garry K Kwong

Shu-Hsin Kao

Peter Mok

Tsungnan Cheng

Earl M Jensen

Tim H Huynh

Linh X Can

Gregory A Appel

Ethan C Wilson

William F Lapson

Daniel E Glenn

Mike Chao

Chi Guo

Lin Jun Zhou

Frank J Hausman

Harry Lee

Greg Simon

Luis Lau

Siyuan Yang

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 automated tracking and control system measures the lateral displacement of a moving belt, using non-contact sensing. The displacement signal is provided to an algorithm that adjusts the tilts of the belt pulleys and steers the belt laterally. Non-contact sensors include inductive proximity sensors, which respond to the metal belt but are immune to airborne slurry and other non-metallic debris in a hostile environment typical of wafer polishing. Other non-contact sensors include shielded optical sensors. Dual sensor configurations cancel response to non-lateral displacements. Instrumentation, such as tension sensors, cylinder pressure sensors, load transducers, and limit switches, provides input to the algorithm. Independent tension signals for each belt edge verify proper functioning of, e.g., pad conditioners. User-specified belt displacements, e.g., dither, sawtooth oscillation, step, ramp, and sweep, combine with selective texturing and other variable pad properties to provide a desired polishing rate profile.

Robust belt tracking and control system for hostile environment

The deposition material on, or removal of material from, an article, such as on an exposed surface of an intermediate integrated circuit structure, is optically monitored. The processes that are so monitored include the formation of a dielectric layer on a semiconductor wafer, and the removal of material from such a layer by planarization, polishing, or etching, a process of chemical-mechanical-polishing (CMP) being given as an example. A resulting optical signal is detected and processed in real time to provide information of the progress of the material formation or removal and an indication when an end point has been reached. The optical signal being processed varies sinusoidally as a result of interference between light reflected from a surface being operated upon and light reflected from some other surface. A differential or integral of this signal is formed to provide additional peaks and valleys that are detected in order to obtain data points from the signal every one-quarter period. This allows a very early determination of the amount of material being added or removed, the rate that this is occurring, and the like, which determinations are repetitively updated as more signal data points are acquired. This information can be provided to an individual who is operating the processing equipment, and/or can be used to directly control the processing equipment.

Signal processing for in situ monitoring of the formation or removal of

In an apparatus for removing material from an article, such as an exposed surface of an intermediate integrated circuit structure, by planarizing, polishing, etching or the like, a sensor is mechanically coupled to a moving carrier of the article for directing through the article to its first side an electromagnetic radiation beam having a wavelength band to which the structure is substantially transparent. The beam is detected after interacting with the article, such as being reflected from its exposed surface, and resulting information of the state of the processing of the exposed surface is transmitted from the moving carrier to a stationary receiver by radiation without the use of any physical transmission media such as wires or optical fibers. Multiple sensors mounted on the moving article carrier provide information of the uniformity of the processing across the exposed article surface. The radiation signal received by the stationary receiver is used to monitor or control the processing, such as by determining an endpoint thereof.

In situ technique for monitoring and controlling a process of

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

A hard disk drive head actuator includes a plurality of arms for holding the heads over the disks. Each arm is formed with one or more cutouts, to reduce the rotational inertia of the actuator. To prevent increased viscous dissipation, or windage losses, that would otherwise be caused by the cutouts, the cutouts are filled with lightweight plastic inserts. Advantageously, filling the cutouts improves structural damping of an arm and enhances the dynamic response of an actuator assembly that incorporates one or more such arms.

Actuator arm with cutouts and means for filling or blocking the cutouts

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Huey M Tzeng