Ebara Corporation

Osamu Nabeya

Makoto Fukushima

Hozumi Yasuda

Keisuke Namiki

Shingo Togashi

Satoru Yamaki

Tetsuji Togawa

Tomoko Owada

Kunihiko Sakurai

Hiroshi Yoshida

Hiroyuki Shinozaki

Nobuyuki Takada

Ikutaro Noji

Koichi Fukaya

Tomoshi Inoue

Kenichi Kobayashi

Mitsuru Miyazaki

Junji Kunisawa

Seiji Katsuoka

Takahiro Ogawa

Yoshikazu Kato

Naoki Matsuda

Hiroshi Sotozaki

Kenichiro Saito

Natsuki Makino

Shunichiro Kojima

Kenichi Akazawa

Shinya Morisawa

Hideki Takayanagi

Shintaro Isono

Masahiko Kishimoto

Takayuki Saito

Katsuhide Watanabe

Itsuki Kobata

Yuichi Kato

Mitsuhiko Shirakashi

Yasushi Toma

Tsukuru Suzuki

Masayuki Kumekawa

Teruhiko Ichimura

Koji Saito

Kaoru Yamada

Yuji Makita

Kazuto Hirokawa

Cheng Cheng

Nobuyuki Takahashi

Yuta Suzuki

Toru Maruyama

Kuniaki Yamaguchi

Satoshi Wakabayashi

Shingo Saito

Suguru Sakugawa

Takeshi Iizumi

Kimihide Nagata

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

An elastic membrane having a physical property required for each portion of the elastic membrane and capable of uniformly polishing a workpiece is disclosed. The elastic membrane includes: a contact portion having a workpiece pressing surface for pressing a workpiece against a polishing surface; and a partition wall extending upward from the contact portion and forming a pressure chamber. The contact portion and at least a part of the partition wall are composed of a first rubber structure and a second rubber structure which are integrally formed, the first rubber structure has a first hardness, and the second rubber structure has a second hardness lower than the first hardness, the first rubber structure includes the workpiece pressing surface, and the second rubber structure includes the at least a part of the partition wall.

Rubber membrane having first and second hardness for use in a polishing head

A break-in processing apparatus is disclosed, which can reliably perform a break-in process for an elastic membrane without reducing a utilization rate of a polishing apparatus. The break-in processing apparatus includes a stage to which an elastic membrane assembly including a carrier and an elastic membrane attached to the carrier is placed; a break-in determination module facing the elastic membrane placed to the stage; a fluid supply unit configured to supply a pressurized fluid into a pressure chamber formed between the outermost periphery portion of the elastic membrane and the carrier; and a controller configured to control operations of the break-in determination module and the fluid supply unit. The controller determines a completion of a break-in process of the elastic membrane based on a load applied to the break-in determination module by the elastic membrane which is expanded by the pressurized fluid supplied into the pressure chamber.

Break-in processing apparatus and break-in processing method

A substrate holding apparatus is provided, which includes a top ring main body to which an elastic film having a surface that can suck a substrate can be attached, a first line communicating with a first area of the plurality of areas, a second line communicating with a second area different from the first area of the plurality of areas, a pressure adjuster that can pressurize the first area by feeding fluid into the first area through the first line and can generate negative pressure in the second area through the second line, and a determiner that performs determination of whether or not the substrate is sucked to the elastic film based on a volume of the fluid fed into the first area or a measurement value corresponding to pressure in the first area.

Substrate holding apparatus, substrate suction determination method, substrate polishing apparatus, substrate polishing method, method of removing liquid from upper surface of wafer to be polished, elastic film for pressing wafer against polishing pad, substrate release method, and constant amount gas supply 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 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

Elastic membrane

A polishing head capable of preventing contact between both side walls of an elastic membrane when a negative pressure is formed in a pressure chamber formed by the elastic membrane. The polishing head includes: a first elastic membrane configured to press the workpiece against the polishing pad; a retainer ring surrounding the first elastic membrane; a second elastic membrane configured to press the retainer ring against the polishing pad; a carrier to which the first elastic membrane is secured; and an attachment member arranged in a pressure chamber formed by the second elastic membrane and fixing the second elastic membrane to the carrier. The attachment member has a support portion extending toward the retainer ring along a side wall of the second elastic membrane.

Polishing head and polishing apparatus

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

A method of detecting abnormality of a roller which transmits a local load to a retainer ring is disclosed. The method comprises: rotating a polishing head which includes a head body and a retainer ring, the head body having a pressing surface for pressing a substrate, the retainer ring being arranged so as to surround the pressing surface; measuring a torque for rotating the polishing head, while rotating a rotary ring together with the polishing head and while exerting a local load to a stationary ring located on the rotary ring, the rotary ring being fixed to the retainer ring and having a plurality of rollers; generating a torque waveform indicating relationship between measured values of the torque for rotating the polishing head and measuring times of the torque; performing Fourier-transform process on the torque waveform to determine an intensity of frequency component of the torque waveform; and determining that at least one of the rollers malfunctions when the determined intensity of the frequency component is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

Method of detecting abnormality of a roller which transmits a local load to a retainer ring, and polishing apparatus

Elastic membrane for semiconductor wafer polishing apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Osamu Nabeya