Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Thomas West, Inc.

Kevin H Song

Long Van Nguyen

Thomas E West

Peter McKeever

Benedict W Pang

Matt Richardson

Liang-Yuh Chen

Sen-Hou Ko

Jallepally Ravi

Moshe Sarfaty

Suraj Rengarajan

Michael J Wood

Shih-Hung Li

Haojiang Li

Pepito Galvez

Justin H Wong

Gary Quigley

Donald Dietz

Jorge Craik

Koli Holani

A polishing pad for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a polishing layer having a polishing surface and a backing layer formed of a fluid-permeable material. The backing layer includes a lower surface configured to be secured to a platen and an upper surface secured to the polishing layer, wherein the lower surface and upper surface are sealed. A first seal circumferentially seals an edge of the backing layer, and a second seal seals and separates the backing layer into a first region and a second region surrounded by the first region.

Controlling chemical mechanical polishing pad stiffness by adjusting wetting in the backing layer

Exemplary substrate electrochemical planarization apparatuses may include a chuck body defining a substrate support surface. The apparatuses may include a retaining wall extending from the chuck body. The apparatuses may include an electrolyte delivery port disposed radially inward of the retaining wall. The apparatuses may include a spindle that is positionable over the chuck body. The apparatuses may include an end effector coupled with a lower end of the spindle. The end effector may be conductive. The apparatuses may include an electric contact extending from the chuck body or retaining wall. The apparatuses may include a current source. The current source may be configured to provide an electric current to an electrolyte within an open interior defined by the retaining wall.

Face-up wafer electrochemical planarization apparatus

A method and apparatus for dispensing polishing fluids and onto a polishing pad within a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system are disclosed herein. In particular, embodiments herein relate to a CMP system with a first fluid delivery arm and a second fluid delivery arm disposed over the polishing pad to dispense liquid, such as a polishing fluid or water. The first fluid delivery arm is disposed over at least 50% of the radius of the polishing pad, while the second fluid delivery arm is disposed over less than 50% of the radius of the polishing pad. The second fluid delivery arm is configured to dispense either a polishing fluid or a water onto the polishing pad to effect the polishing rate at the edge of the substrate.

Substrate polish edge uniformity control with secondary fluid dispense

A method for making a polishing pad includes rotating a cylinder about a central axis. The cylinder encloses in an interior space a polymer mixture. The method also includes forming the polishing pad from at least some of a polymer formed after the polymer mixture has gelled. The rotating of the cylinder may be continued until the polymer has cured. The method may include forming at least two distinct layers in the polishing pad by casting and gelling sequentially at least two different polymer mixtures. A system for manufacturing a polishing pad includes a centrifugal caster adapted to rotate. A polishing pad made by a method is provided.

Methods and systems for centrifugal casting of polymer polish pads and polishing pads made by the methods

A method for making a multilayer polishing pad includes rotating a cylinder about a central axis. The cylinder encloses in an interior space a single polymer mixture that phase separates under centrifugal force. The method also includes forming the polishing pad from at least some of a polymer formed after the polymer mixture has reacted. The method includes forming at least two distinct layers in the polishing pad by casting and gelling sequentially at least two different polymers.

Multilayer polishing pads made by the methods for centrifugal casting of polymer polish pads

A Stirling engine can take advantage of adiabatic compression (which heats working gas leaving the cold cylinder) and adiabatic expansion (which cools working gas leaving the hot cylinder) to increase efficiency. In some implementations, partially-heated gas leaving the cold cylinder and partially-cooled gas leaving the hot cylinder can be routed directly to a regenerator using bypass paths that are opened using one-way valves. The resultant relatively reduced temperature difference across the regenerator, e.g., as compared to a typical Stirling engine, can reduce thermal loss and improve efficiency. In some implementations, the compression ratios of the Stirling engine can be adjusted such that the temperature of the adiabatic heated gas is the same or higher than the temperature of the adiabatic cooled temperatures, thus eliminating the need for a regenerator.

Valved Stirling engine with improved efficiency

Valved stirling engine with improved efficiency

Methods and compositions are provided for planarizing substrate surfaces with low dishing. Aspects of the invention provide methods of using compositions comprising an abrasive selected from the group consisting of alumina and ceria and a surfactant for chemical mechanical planarization of substrates to remove polysilicon.

Low cost and low dishing slurry for polysilicon CMP

Embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus and method to determine the health of a substrate process such as, for example, a pre-clean process using plasma to remove copper oxide from a copper layer on a substrate, and the point at which the process has ended. In one aspect, optical characteristics and/or chamber impedance are used to determine the process end-point and/or process chamber health.

Method and apparatus for process monitoring

A semiconductor processing chamber has been utilized to perform sequential deposition of high-K Al O thin films on a substrate disposed in the chamber employing low viscosity precursors. The method commences with introduction of an aluminum precursor into the processing chamber. In this manner, a monolayer of aluminum precursor is chemisorbed onto the substrate surface. Thereafter, non-chemisorbed aluminum precursor is purged from the processing chamber, followed by introduction of an oxygen precursor. The oxygen precursor reacts with the chemisorbed layer, resulting in a monolayer of Al O . Finally, excess oxygen precursor and by-products of the reaction are purged completing the sequential deposition cycle. The sequential deposition cycle can be repeated to grow the Al O film to a desired thickness.

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Gardena, CA, United States of America

Kevin H Song