Applied Materials, Inc.

Michael T Sherwood

Harry Q Lee

Norman Shendon

Norm Shendon

Tsungnan Cheng

Sen-Hou Ko

William L Guthrie

Semyon Spektor

Shou-Chen Kao

A chemical mechanical head includes a retaining ring to maintain a substrate beneath the mounting surface during polishing. The retaining ring has a lower portion with a bottom surface for contacting a polishing pad during polishing and made of a first material, such as plastic, and an upper portion made of a second, different material, such as metal.

Chemical mechanical polishing retaining ring

A wafer polishing head utilizes a wafer backing member having a wafer facing pocket which is sealed against the wafer and is pressurized with air or other fluid to provide a uniform force distribution pattern across the width of the wafer inside an edge seal feature at the perimeter of the wafer to urge (or press) the wafer uniformly toward a polishing pad. Wafer polishing is carried out uniformly without variations in the amount of wafer material across the usable area of the wafer. A frictional force between the seal feature of the backing member and the surface of the wafer transfers rotational movement of the head to the wafer during polishing. A pressure controlled bellows supports and presses the wafer backing member toward the polishing pad and accommodates any dimensional variation between the polishing head and the polishing pad as the polishing head is moved relative to the polishing pad. An integral, but independently retractable and extendable retaining ring assembly is provided around the wafer backing member and wafer to uniformly and independently control the pressure of a wafer perimeter retaining ring on the polishing ad of a wafer polishing bed.

Fluid-pressure regulated wafer polishing head

A wafer polishing head utilizes a wafer backing member having a wafer facing pocket which is sealed against the wafer and is pressurized with air or other fluid to provide a uniform force distribution pattern across the width of the wafer inside an edge seal feature at the perimeter of the wafer to urge (or press) the wafer uniformly toward a polishing pad. A pressure controlled bellows supports and presses the wafer backing member toward the polishing pad and accommodates any dimensional variation between the polishing head and the polishing pad as the polishing head is moved relative to the polishing pad. An integral, but independently retractable and extendable retaining ring assembly is provided around the wafer backing member and wafer to uniformly and independently control the pressure of a wafer perimeter retaining ring on the polishing ad of a wafer polishing bed.

Chemical mechanical polishing carrier head

A wafer polishing head utilizes a wafer backing member having a wafer facing pocket which is sealed against the wafer and is pressurized with air or other fluid to provide a uniform force distribution pattern across the width of the wafer inside an edge seal feature at the perimeter of the wafer to urge (or press) the wafer uniformly toward a polishing pad. Wafer polishing is carried out uniformly without variations in the amount of wafer material across the usable area of the wafer. A frictional force between the seal feature of the backing member and the surface of the wafer transfers rotational movement of the head to the wafer during polishing. A pressure controlled bellows supports and presses the wafer backing member toward the polishing pad and accommodates any dimensional variation between the polishing head and the polishing pad as the polishing head is moved relative to the polishing pad. An integral, but independently retractable and extendable retaining ring assembly is provided around the wafer backing member and wafer to uniformly and independently control the pressure of a wafer perimeter retaining ring on the polishing pad of a wafer polishing bed.

Fluid pressure regulated wafer polishing head

A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus including a carrier head having an integral conditioning member is described. The conditioning member includes a conditioning surface that may selectively be moved into contact with a polishing surface of a polishing pad. The conditioning member may be connected to a surface of the carrier's retaining ring assembly. As a result, the polishing surface may be conditioned either continuously or intermittently when a substrate is loaded in the carrier for polishing.

Method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad in a chemical

A process using a retaining ring assembly of a carrier head to precompress a polishing pad to reduce or minimize the edge effect in a chemical mechanical polishing process.

Method and apparatus for using a retaining ring to control the edge

A carrier uses multiple bellows to form two pressure chambers between the housing and carrier base and retaining ring assembly. By pressurizing the first chamber, an even load can be applied across the substrate. By pressurizing the second chamber, the retaining ring can pressed against the polishing pad. The bellows allow the carrier base to pivot with respect to the housing, but the downward force is evenly applied to the substrate through the first pressure chamber. Torque is transferred from the carrier housing to the carrier base through the bellows.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Michael T Sherwood