Ebara Corporation

Keisuke Namiki

Makoto Fukushima

Osamu Nabeya

Hozumi Yasuda

Shingo Togashi

Satoru Yamaki

Tomoko Owada

Tetsuji Togawa

Kunihiko Sakurai

Nobuyuki Takada

Yoshikazu Kato

Ikutaro Noji

Shunichiro Kojima

Hideki Takayanagi

Shintaro Isono

Katsuhide Watanabe

Masahiko Kishimoto

Hiroshi Yoshida

Yoshihiro Gunji

Norio Kimura

Koji Saito

Junji Kunisawa

Katsuyuki Aoki

You Ishii

Natsuki Makino

Tomoshi Inoue

Takayoshi Kawamoto

Kunihito Ide

Kunio Tateishi

Katsuyuki Musaka

A system includes a first artificial intelligence unit that predicts a performance value by using, as an input, each of a plurality of verification datasets including combinations of the parameter types that are same as the combinations of the parameter types at the time of learning; a selection unit that selects one set of parameter types from a plurality of sets of parameter types included in the plurality of verification datasets predicts performance values of a target substrate processing apparatus obtained by changing variable parameters among the parameters including the selected set of parameter types with, as an input, a fixed parameter intrinsically determined for a target substrate processing apparatus among parameters including the selected set of parameter types, and outputs a combination of parameter values yielding a performance value, among the predicted performance values, satisfying an extraction criterion.

Information processing system, information processing method, program, and substrate processing apparatus

A polishing method capable of accurately determining a polishing end point of a substrate is disclosed. The method is a film-thickness measuring method for a substrate W using a film-thickness measuring device, at least a part of which being mounted in a polishing table configured to support the polishing pad. The method includes measuring film thicknesses of the substrate W, while rotating the substrate W on a polishing surface of the polishing pad by a polishing head and controlling a position of the film-thickness measuring device relative to the polishing head.

Film-thickness measuring method, method of detecting notch portion, and polishing apparatus

A polishing apparatus polishes a substrate by bringing the substrate into sliding contact with a polishing surface. The polishing apparatus includes: a substrate holder having a substrate holding surface for pressing the substrate against the polishing surface and further having a retaining ring arranged so as to surround the substrate and brought into contact with the polishing surface, the retaining ring being configured to be tiltable independently of the substrate holding surface; a rotating mechanism configured to rotate the substrate holder about its own axis; and at least one local load exerting mechanism configured to exert a local load on a part of the retaining ring in a direction perpendicular to the polishing surface. The at least one local load exerting mechanism is arranged so as not to rotate together with the substrate holder.

Polishing apparatus

An elastic membrane to be used for a polishing head includes a contact portion configured to come into contact with a wafer, an annular side wall provided to stand on an outer peripheral end of the contact portion, a first partition wall linearly extending inward in a radial direction in sectional view from the side wall, and a second partition wall linearly extending inward and upward in the radial direction in sectional view from an outer peripheral end portion of the contact portion, wherein the first partition wall, the second partition wall, and the side wall constitute an edge pressure chamber for pressing an edge of the wafer.

Elastic membrane, substrate holding device, and polishing apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate polishing unithaving a polishing pad for polishing a wafer W, and a top ringfor holding a wafer and pressing the wafer against the polishing pad. An elastic membranefor holding a surface opposite to a polishing surface of the wafer W is attached to the top ringas a consumable. The elastic membraneis provided with a plurality of strain sensorsandfor measuring strain occurring in the elastic membraneduring polishing, and data of an amount of strain is read to a control deviceby detection unitsandThe control devicesets a processing condition such as a polishing recipe for the wafer W based on strain information of the elastic membranemeasured by the strain sensors.

Substrate processing apparatus

A substrate holding apparatus which can adjust polishing profile precisely is disclosed. The substrate holding apparatus includes an elastic membrane that forms a plurality of pressure chambers for pressing a substrate, and a head body to which the elastic membrane is coupled. The elastic membrane includes a contact portion to be brought into contact with the substrate for pressing the substrate against a polishing pad, an edge circumferential wall extending upwardly from a peripheral edge of the contact portion, and a plurality of inner circumferential walls arranged radially inwardly of the edge circumferential wall and extending upwardly from the contact portion. At least two adjacent inner circumferential walls of the plurality of inner circumferential walls include slope circumferential walls inclined radially inwardly. The slope circumferential walls are inclined radially inwardly in their entirety from their lower ends to upper ends, and extend upwardly.

Substrate holding apparatus, elastic membrane, polishing apparatus, and method for replacing elastic membrane

A polishing apparatus includes a rotatable head body having a pressing surface, a retainer ring configured to press a polishing surface while rotating together with the head body, a stationary ring, local load applying devices configured to apply a local load to the stationary ring, and a controller. The local load applying devices include a first pressing member and a second pressing member connected to the stationary ring. The first pressing member is disposed in the upstream side of the retainer ring in the traveling direction of the polishing surface, and the second pressing member is disposed in the downstream side. The controller calculates the inclination angle of the stationary ring based on a measured value of the height of at least one of the first pressing member and the second pressing member.

Polishing apparatus and method of controlling inclination of stationary ring

The polishing apparatus includes: a polishing table configured to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface; a rotatable head body having a pressing surface; a retainer ring configured to press the polishing surface and rotatable together with the head body; a rotary ring; a stationary ring; and local-load exerting devices each configured to apply a local load to the stationary ring. The local-load exerting devices include a first pressing member and a second pressing member coupled to the stationary ring. The first pressing member is arranged at an upstream side of the retainer ring in a moving direction of the polishing surface, and the second pressing member is arranged at a downstream side of the retainer ring in the moving direction of the polishing surface.

Polishing apparatus and polishing method

Elastic membrane

Elastic membrane for semiconductor wafer polishing

A polishing apparatus capable of precisely controlling a polishing profile, particularly a polishing profile in an edge portion, of a wafer is disclosed. The polishing apparatus includes: a top ring shaft; a housing fixed to the top ring shaft; a flexible membrane configured to press a wafer against a polishing pad; a top ring body configured to hold the flexible membrane; a retaining ring coupled to the top ring body and disposed so as to surround the flexible membrane; a gimbal mechanism configured to allow the top ring body and the retaining ring to tilt with respect to the housing; and a local load exerting mechanism configured to exert a downward local load on a part of the retaining ring.

According to one embodiment, a substrate polishing method includes: conveying a substrate to a position above a polishing pad by sucking the substrate by a first region of an elastic film; polishing the substrate while bringing the substrate into contact with the polishing pad; and lifting off the substrate by sucking the substrate by a second region of the elastic film, the second region being larger than the first region.

Substrate polishing method, top ring, and substrate polishing apparatus

A substrate holding apparatus is used for holding a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer in a polishing apparatus for polishing and planarizing the substrate. The substrate holding apparatus includes an elastic membrane, a top ring body for holding the elastic membrane, and a plurality of pressure chambers partitioned by at least one partition wall of the elastic membrane. The substrate is held by a lower surface of the elastic membrane and pressed against the polishing surface with a fluid pressure by supplying a pressurized fluid to the pressure chambers. The substrate holding apparatus further include a stopper configured to limit the inflation of the elastic membrane by being brought into contact with a part of the partition wall of the elastic membrane or an extending member extending from a rear surface of the elastic membrane whose surface serves as a substrate holding surface.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Keisuke Namiki