Mosel Vitelic Corporation

Aplex, Inc.

Linh X Can

David E Weldon

Shou-sung Chang

Gregory C Lee

Ethan C Wilson

Tsungnan Cheng

Jade Jaboneta

James A Allen

David L Chen

Garry K Kwong

Shu-Hsin Kao

H Alexander Anderson

Huey M Tzeng

Gregory A Appel

Albert Hu

Charles J Regan

Jeffrey M L Fontana

Kelvin Lum

Jeffrey M Fontana

Shu-Wong S Lee

Luis Lau

Siyuan Yang

Michael Leach

Conditioner assembly and a conditioner back support for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus

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 improved wafer polishing machine is disclosed. In one embodiment, the wafer polishing machine has a movable polishing surface and a holder that holds an object, such as a semiconductor wafer, against the movable polishing surface. The holder includes a support structure that supports the object in contact with the polishing surface and an annular retaining ring that retains the object in alignment with the support structure. The retaining ring has a plurality of projections projecting inwardly from its inner circumference. The projections are evenly spaced around the inner circumference of the retaining ring. In one embodiment, the projections on the retaining ring define a circle with a diameter no less than the diameter of the object being polished. In an alternative embodiment, the retaining ring has a smooth, circular inner circumference formed from a flexible material which distends to from a continuous arc of contact with the wafer during polishing. Each retaining ring disclosed herein forms multiple points of contact or a continuous arc of contact between the retaining ring and the wafer, thereby reducing wafer buckling during polishing and improving surface uniformity.

Retaining ring for wafer polishing

A wafer polisher head drive includes a head drive housing; a head portion extending from the housing for mounting an unpolished wafer when the head drive housing and head portion are in a horizontal orientation; a pivot mechanism extending from the head drive housing for pivoting the head drive housing and the head portion from the horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation juxtaposed to a transverse vertical portion of a continuous rotating polishing belt; a drive in the housing for moving the head portion and a mounted wafer outwardly from the housing against the transverse vertical portion of the rotating polishing belt; and a drive in the housing for rotating the head portion and the mounted wafer. The head drive housing may be pivoted from the vertical orientation in a sweeping arc extending perpendicularly from the belt transverse vertical portion or in a swinging arc extending parallel from the belt transverse vertical portion. The pivot mechanism includes a hollow shaft connected to said head drive housing; and a motor, gearbox and a ball screw and nut assembly in driving connection between the gearbox and the hollow shaft for transversing in a direction parallel to the belt.

Wafer polishing head drive

A conditioner assembly and a conditioner back support for conditioning a polishing pad of a chemical mechanical polishing device. The conditioner assembly comprises a conditioning head having a gimbal assembly, a shaft engaged to the conditioning head, and a linear torque bearing assembly slidably receiving the shaft. The linear torque bearing assembly is configured to operatively rotate the shaft assembly contemporaneously with allowing the shaft to extend and retract from a first open end of the linear torque bearing assembly. The conditioner assembly additionally comprises a bellows secured over the first open end and engaged to the conditioning head and a bearing housing disposed over a second open end of the linear torque bearing assembly. The bearing housing rotatably supports the linear torque bearing assembly such that a motor assembly can operatively drive the linear torque bearing assembly, the shaft, and the conditioning head. The conditioner back support respectively opposes the conditioner assembly such that the polishing belt supporting the polishing pad is disposed intermediate to the conditioner back support and the conditioner assembly. The conditioner back support comprises a frame assembly which adjustably support a backing plate. The frame assembly comprises a positioning assembly which allows a user to adjust the position of the backing plate. The position of the backing plate can be adjusted such that a front surface of the backing plate is parallel to and disposed on or proximal to a plane defined by a backside of the polishing belt. As a result, when the conditioner assembly compresses against the polishing pad, the polishing pad does not significantly deflect. The conditioner back support further includes a polymeric compound disposed on the front surface of the backing plate for reducing the frictional force between the backing plate and the polishing belt.

Conditioner assembly for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus

A wafer polishing apparatus includes a module frame; a continuous belt rotatable with respect to the frame, the belt having at least one vertically-oriented belt transverse portion including a polishing pad assembly; and at least one pivotable wafer-holding head drive within the frame and having a distal end portion movable to a vertical first position parallel and juxtaposed to the belt transverse portion. The head drive includes a wafer carrier for holding a wafer on the distal end portion of the head drive, while a drive moves the distal end portion and a held wafer into a vertical polishing position abutting the belt transverse portion and pressure is applied to the held-wafer against the polishing pad assembly while the wafer-holding distal end portion is rotated and swept side-by-side. After polishing the drive is reversed and the head drive is pivoted away from the belt transverse portion to a horizontal or other orientation and the then polished wafer removed. Multiple modules may be placed end-to-end or side-by-side with a robot pathway therebetween to load unpolished wafers and to unload polished wafers to a buffing station, to a cassette or other processing station.

Modular wafer polishing apparatus and method

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Linh X Can