Ebara Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Shimadzu Corporation

Toshiba Memory Corporation

Shinro Ohta

Yoichi Kobayashi

Atsushi Shigeta

Shunsuke Nakai

Koji Maruyama

Noburu Shimizu

Kazuo Shimizu

Ryuichiro Mitani

Taro Takahashi

Kazuto Hirokawa

Mitsuo Tada

Yasuo Tsukuda

Motohiro Niijima

Akihiro Tsukada

A processing end point detection method detects a timing of a processing end point (e.g., polishing stop, changing of polishing conditions) by calculating a characteristic value of a surface of a workpiece (an object of polishing) such as a substrate. This method includes producing a spectral waveform indicating a relationship between reflection intensities and wavelengths at a processing end point, with use of a reference workpiece or simulation calculation, based on the spectral waveform, selecting wavelengths of a local maximum value and a local minimum value of the reflection intensities, calculating the characteristic value with respect to a surface, to be processed, from reflection intensities at the selected wavelengths, setting a distinctive point of time variation of the characteristic value at a processing end point of the workpiece as the processing end point, and detecting the processing end point of the workpiece by detecting the distinctive point during processing of the workpiece.

Processing end point detection method, polishing method, and polishing apparatus

A polishing apparatus is used for polishing and planarizing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer on which a conductive film such as a copper (Cu) layer or a tungsten (W) layer is formed. The polishing apparatus includes a polishing table having a polishing surface, a motor for rotating the polishing table, a top ring for holding a substrate and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface, a film thickness measuring sensor disposed in the polishing table for scanning a surface of the substrate, and a computing device for processing signals of the film thickness measuring sensor to compute a film thickness of the substrate.

Polishing apparatus and polishing method

A substrate polishing apparatus polishes a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. The substrate polishing apparatus has a polishing table against which a substrate is pressed and a light-emitting and light-receiving device to emit measurement light from the polishing table to the substrate and to receive reflected light from the substrate for measuring a film on the substrate. The substrate polishing apparatus also has a fluid supply passage for supplying a fluid for measurement, through which the measurement light and the reflected light pass, to a fluid chamber provided at a light-emitting and light-receiving position of the polishing table, and a fluid supply control device for controlling supply of the fluid for measurement to the fluid chamber.

Substrate polishing apparatus

A polishing pad () has an upper-layer pad () having a hole () defined therein, a light-transmittable window () disposed in the hole () for allowing light to pass therethrough, and a lower-layer pad () disposed below the upper-layer pad () and having a light passage hole () defined therein which has substantially the same diameter as the hole () in the upper-layer pad (). A transparent film () with an adhesive agent applied to upper and lower surfaces thereof is interposed between the upper-layer pad () and the lower-layer pad (). The hole () defined in the upper-layer pad () and the light passage hole () defined in the lower-layer pad () have substantially the same size as each other.

Polishing apparatus and polishing pad

A polishing apparatus has a polishing table having a polishing surface, a top ring for holding a workpiece to be polished and pressing the workpiece against the polishing surface on the polishing table, and a film thickness measuring device embedded in the polishing table. The film thickness measuring device includes a light source for applying light having a predetermined wavelength to a surface of the workpiece, a spectroscope for separating light reflected from the surface of the workpiece, and a charge coupled device array for capturing light separated by the spectroscope. The polishing apparatus also has a controller operable to analyze information captured by the charge coupled device array over the entire surface of the workpiece to obtain a film thickness at a desired point on the surface of the workpiece.

Polishing apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Shinro Ohta