Ebara Corporation

Shingo Togashi

Osamu Nabeya

Makoto Fukushima

Keisuke Namiki

Satoru Yamaki

Hozumi Yasuda

Tomoko Owada

Yoshikazu Kato

Shintaro Isono

Masahiko Kishimoto

Tetsuji Togawa

Tomoshi Inoue

Cheng Cheng

Katsuhide Watanabe

Yuichi Kato

Kenichi Akazawa

Koji Saito

Yuta Suzuki

Kazuto Hirokawa

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 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 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

A polishing method is used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. A method of polishing a substrate by a polishing apparatus includes a polishing table () having a polishing surface, a top ring () for holding a substrate and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface, and a vertically movable mechanism () for moving the top ring () in a vertical direction. The top ring () is moved to a first height before the substrate is pressed against the polishing surface, and then the top ring () is moved to a second height after the substrate is pressed against the polishing surface.

Method and apparatus for polishing a substrate

Provided is a substrate holding device used in a substrate polishing apparatus that polishes a substrate using a polishing pad. The substrate holding device includes: a retainer ring configured to hold a peripheral edge of the substrate; and a drive ring fixed to the retainer ring so as to rotate together with the retainer ring. The surface of the retainer ring at the polishing pad side has a convex portion at a position other than an innermost circumference following a shape of the drive ring.

Substrate holding device, substrate polishing apparatus, and method of manufacturing the substrate holding device

An elastic membrane capable of being easily secured to a head body of a substrate holding apparatus while inhibiting variation of a degree of deformation of the elastic membrane in a circumferential direction is disclosed. The elastic membrane according to the present invention is used in the substrate holding apparatus. The elastic membrane includes: a contact portion to be brought into contact with a substrate for pressing the substrate against a polishing pad; and an edge circumferential wall extending from a peripheral edge of the contact portion. The edge circumferential wall includes an edge-circumferential-wall lip portion sandwiched between a head body of the substrate holding apparatus and an edge mounting member for securing the edge circumferential wall to the head body. The edge-circumferential-wall lip portion has at least a part of a surface thereof roughened.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Shingo Togashi