International Business Machines Corporation

Richard John Lebel

Theodore Gerard Van Kessel

Paul H Smith, Jr

Rock Nadeau

Hemantha Kumar Wickramasinghe

Hematha K Wickramasinghe

Martin Patrick O'Boyle

Frederic Maurer

Charles A McKinney

Fredrik Maurer

Anthony K Stamper

Leping Li

Steven G Barbee

Victor J Silvestri

Tony F Heinz

Matthew T Tiersch

Douglas P Nadeau

Philip Charles Danby Hobbs

Scott R Cline

Douglas Keith Sturtevant

Matthew Kilpatrick Miller

Timothy Scott Bullard

Gary Lionel Langdeau

Robert Albin Jurjevic

Willi O Kalvaitis

Timothy J Rickard, Jr

Daniel D Desorcie

An optical probe (and method) for measuring a surface in an environment containing a first substance, includes a light source for transmitting a light onto an area of the surface to obtain a measurement, a source of the first substance including one of a fluid and a gas for displacing a second substance from an area of the surface receiving the light, and a measuring device for receiving the light being reflected from the surface and for determining a measurement of the surface based upon the reflected light.

Method and apparatus for optical film measurements in a controlled environment

An apparatus with one or more dimensions conforming to a wafer storage cassette used in semiconductor manufacturing which contains all or part of a sensor designed to measure a parameter of a wafer placed into the cassette. The intended use of the apparatus is in a process tool location normally occupied by a standard wafer cassette. By integrating all or part of the sensor into standard wafer storage cassette, a solution is provided whereby the same cassette and metrology system can be mechanically integrated into many process tools.

Integrated wafer cassette metrology assembly

A device and method for providing precision alignment and support for an optical film measurement probe in the wafer rinse tank of a CMP polish tool. The device includes of a probe carrier, and spring loaded support guides attached to a support ring that supports and locates the mechanism in the rinse tank of the CMP tool. The probe carrier has multiple beveled bearing pads (three or more) that contact the rim of the rotating wafer chuck. Pressure from the chuck against these pads forces the probe carrier to maintain a fixed distance and orientation relative to the wafer while allowing the smooth rotation and motion of the wafer and chuck. Further, an integrated the wafer spray nozzles can be attached to the probe carrier that is located so as to minimize interference between wafer spraying and the probe carrier.

Support and alignment device for enabling chemical mechanical polishing rinse and film measurements

An optical system includes a spectrometer and a multipass optical probe. The multipass optical probe includes a retroreflective element such that light propagating, in a first direction, from the probe to a sample under test and passing through or reflecting from the sample under test, is reflected back in a second direction opposite the first direction, so as to pass through the sample under test a total of at least two times.

System and multipass probe for optical interference measurements

A structure and method for polishing a device include oscillating a carrier over an abrasive surface (the carrier bringing a polished surface of the device into contact with the abrasive surface, the oscillating allowing a portion of the polished surface to periodically oscillate off the abrasive surface), optically determining a reflective measure of a plurality of locations of the polished surface as the portion of the device oscillates off the abrasive surface and calculating depths of the locations of the polished surface based of the reflective measure.

Chemical mechanical polishing in-situ end point system

A system and method that integrates film thickness measurements with a chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) spin-dry tool. By doing so, each wafer can be measured as it comes out of the previous CMP process. Thickness measurement feedback is provided, which controls processing of the wafer and also monitor operational status of a CMP polishing unit prior to completion of the wafer being polished, resulting in significant cost and cycle time reduction through the elimination of tool infrastructure and wafer handling by assuring proper tolerances of the CMP polishing unit are maintained.

Chemical-mechanical polishing system and method for integrated spin dry-film thickness measurement

A semiconductor post-polishing processing apparatus and method employing a non-optical wafer sensor for detecting the presence of a semiconductor wafer within the processing stations. The apparatus comprising a wet processing station, a wafer transport track, and the non-optical sensor. Preferably, the non-optical wafer sensor is a transducer, and most preferably, a piezo element, which emits and detects sound waves. The sound waves are reflected back to the emitter signaling the presence of a semiconductor wafer. The signal is sent to a receiver linked to a processor which is adapted to move a wafer holder situated at the end of the transport track to receive a wafer in the next available empty slot of the holder. The non-optical wafer sensor is impervious to slurry and CMP residue, film build-up, bubbles, wafer color/hue variations, and other wet environment problems.

CMP wet application wafer sensor

An improved method of in-situ conditioning of a polishing pad for use with a stationary pad conditioner during chemical mechanical polishing is described. A polishing table having a polishing pad on its surface is rotated in a first direction during polishing of a semiconductor wafer. A polishing pad conditioner is adjustably attached to the rotating polishing table such that the conditioner is stationary in relation to the rotating polishing table. The conditioner has a roughened surface which is in contact with the polishing pad providing in-situ conditioning during polishing of a semiconductor wafer. After polishing of the semiconductor wafer, the polishing table is rotated in a second direction while the conditioner is still in contact with polishing pad. Rotating the polishing pad in a second direction dislodges the polishing debris clogging the roughened surface of the conditioner and redistributes CMP slurry. The roughened surface of the pad conditioner is refreshed allowing more effective conditioning of the polishing pad. Pad life is prolonged, polishing is stabilized, and the polish cycle time is reduced.

In-situ pad conditioning process for CMP

An apparatus for polishing a semiconductor wafer is provided which includes a wafer carrier having on its lower surface a non-uniform surface structure means to vary the force against a wafer during a polishing operation so that the polishing is enhanced and imparts a planar surface across the polished wafer. Preferred non-uniform surface structure means include use of a wafer carrier having on its lower surface a backing film having a first central portion having a predetermined compressibility and a second peripheral portion having a different compressibility than the first portion. Another non-uniform surface structure means to vary the force against the wafer comprises a wafer carrier having on its lower surface a raised circumferential region around the periphery of the carrier.

CMP wafer carrier for preferential polishing of a wafer

A method of forming low resistivity conductive lines on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. In practicing the method a multichamber tool is used to advantage by forming a first doped polysilicon layer on the surface of a substrate, forming a second undoped layer on the doped layer, while maintaining the work piece under a vacuum environment, moving the substrate to a second chamber and thereafter forming a silicide containing layer on the undoped polysilicon layer. Various techniques may be used to deposit either the polysilicon or the silicide layer such as sputtering may also be used. Practice of the method eliminates separation of silicide from polysilicon and increases product yield.

Method of forming a low stress polycide conductors on a semiconductor

Disclosed is an improved apparatus and method for polishing a semiconductor wafer, which involves mounting the wafer to a carrier assembly. The wafer carrier assembly has been split into two plates which are joined by springs around the peripheries. The wafer carrier assembly is universally mounted on a rotation shaft which rotates the wafer carrier assembly during cleaning. An adjustment screw tilts the upper plate relative to the lower plate. The adjustment screw can be located at any predetermined point on a circle around the rotation shaft. Since the bottom plate is forced relatively flat by contact with a polishing pad, the net effect of the wafer carrier assembly is to apply increased pressure to the wafer edge under the screw. This provides for an even polishing action to compensate for otherwise non-uniform radial polishing action on the wafer surface.

Flexible tilted wafer carrier

A method and apparatus for measuring with monolayer sensitivity in real-time the condition of a sample, includes a device for producing a modulated and collimated, p-polarized excitation light beam, a device for directing the p-polarized beam to a surface of the sample such that an angle of incidence of the p-polarized light beam with respect to the normal of the surface is at the Brewster angle, first and second reflecting devices between which the sample is positioned, a mechanism for adjusting a distance between the first and second reflecting devices to adjust a number of interactions of the p-polarized excitation light beam with the sample surfaces, and a detector for detecting the p-polarized light beam output intensity distribution with respect to frequency front the sample surfaces. The reflecting devices and the sample are adjustably maintained parallel to one another to thereby maintain the Brewster angle of the input excitation light beam with respect to the normal of the sample surface. As a result, loss of light intensity due to reflections at the sample surfaces is minimized, interference or noise can be minimized, and a high signal-to-noise ratio is achieved. With the structure and method of the invention, a real time non-destructive device and method for the detection of species on the sample surface are provided which enable the determination of a critical endpoint with monolayer resolution and the presence (or absence) of impurities detrimental to the process yield in a fabrication process. The obtained real-time information of the surface condition can be used to control the wafer processing control devices, thereby achieving closed-loop wafer process control.

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Williston, VT, United States of America

Richard John Lebel