Speedfam-ipec Corporation

Novellus Systems Incorporated

Integrated Process Equipment Corporation

Westech Systems, Inc.

Stephen C Schultz

John Derwood Herb

Nikolay N Korovin

James L Farmer

John Andrew Adams

John F Stumpf

Brian Severson

Everett D Smith

Paul D Jackson

Junedong Lee

Timothy S Dyer

Charles Chiun-Chieh Yang

David T Marquardt

Wayne Lougher

Robert Dean Gromko

Dave Marquardt

James F Lee

Ned W Teeny

James E Sanford

Glen Ong

Richard B Rice

Parag S Modi

John G Baca

An edge control system for deployment on a CMP carrier head comprising a bladder and a carrier head housing having a passage extending therethrough. The bladder includes a flexible diaphragm and is coupled to the carrier head housing. The edge control system comprises first and second annular ribs, each of which comprises a first end portion sealingly coupled to the carrier head housing, a second end portion coupled to the diaphragm, and a strain relief member substantially intermediate the first end portion and the second end portion. A plenum is substantially defined by the first and second annular ribs and the carrier head housing. The passage is fluidly coupled to the plenum to permit the pressurization of the plenum, and the strain relief member promotes the extension of the first and second annular ribs away from the carrier head housing when the plenum is pressurized.

Carrier head for workpiece planarization/polishing

A carrier head for supporting a workpiece is provided. The carrier head comprises a mount plate having an aperture therethrough, and a clamp ring having a foot portion and a first leg portion extending therefrom. The first leg portion extends through the aperture, and the foot portion abuts the mount plate proximate the aperture. A flexible bladder has first and second ribs that are received between the mount plate and the foot portion. An annular fastener is removably coupled to the leg portion, and engages the mount plate to cause the first and second ribs to be sealingly secured between the mount plate and the foot portion.

An apparatus for planarizing a work piece includes an easily assembled work carrier. The carrier includes a carrier insert having a work piece bladder clamped to a carrier backing plate with a plurality of clamps to form a plurality of web plenums. The outer edge of the bladder is supported by a rib that is coupled to a carrier plenum. By adjusting the pressure in the carrier plenum, the pressure exerted on the edge of a work piece during a planarization operation can be adjusted. The carrier also includes a floating wear ring that surrounds the work piece bladder and a work piece mounted on that bladder. By adjusting the force exerted by the wear ring on a polishing pad, independently of the pressure exerted by the rib at the edge of the bladder, the material removal rate near the edge of the work piece can be controlled.

Work piece carrier with adjustable pressure zones and barriers and a method of planarizing a work piece

In a chemical mechanical wafer processing apparatus, a platen for supporting a polishing pad, a manifold for delivering a chemical to the platen, a workpiece substantially in contact with a polishing pad supported by the platen, a light transmission medium for transmitting and receiving light to and from the workpiece, one end of the medium being substantially flush with the top of the polishing pad, the other end of the transmission medium having a hollow portion for receiving a light transmitting and receiving probe, thereby providing a light transmitting and receiving probe in close proximity to the workpiece. The platen and manifold of the apparatus are substantially of non-metallic material and may be joined by spaced clamps and latches.

Platen and manifold for polishing workpieces

A method is provided for controlling a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) operation. The method is operative in a CMP apparatus having a plurality of end point detection probes and in which a plurality of process variables can be set to adjust the removal rate across a layer that is to be polished. In accordance with the method, the process variables are adjusted to a first setting and a layer overlying a work piece is polished using that setting. Information from the plurality of end point detection probes is collected and evaluated to determine removal rate of the layer. The process variables are adjusted in response the evaluation and a second layer on a second work piece is polished using the adjusted settings.

Method for controlling a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) operation

A polishing pad assembly for use in a chemical-mechanical polishing apparatus comprises a polishing pad having at least a first aperture therethrough and a platen for supporting the polishing pad having a second aperture therethrough at least a portion of which is larger than the first aperture. A substantially transparent plug includes at least a first section having a first dimension for positioning substantially within the first aperture and at least a second section having a second dimension larger than the first dimension for positioning substantially within the second aperture. The optical plug is made of a polymeric material which may be press-fit through the platen into polishing pad.

Polishing pad window for a chemical-mechanical polishing tool

Layers of material deposited exhibit both a local and a global pattern. The local pattern is a function of the underlying wafer surface, but the global pattern is a function of the equipment in which the layer was deposited. Accurate reconstruction of the surface topology of a layer on a product wafer is achieved despite the local pattern by determining the surface topology of a blanket layer on a blank wafer, measuring the thickness of the layer at a few selected locations on a product wafer, calculating scaling coefficients representing deviations of the measured thickness from the blanket layer topology, and then multiplying the blanket layer topology by the scaling coefficients. The surface reconstruction results from modifying the surface topology of the blanket layer so that it has the same thickness at the measured locations as does the product wafer layer.

Method for processing a work piece in a multi-zonal processing apparatus

A laminated wear ring for a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) apparatus provides improved control of the removal rate of material from the edge of a wafer during a polishing/planarization operation. The laminated wear ring includes a high stiffness stainless steel base and a plastic laminate. The high stiffness stainless steel base avoids flexing of the wear ring during polishing and thus provides control of the flexing of a polish pad against which the wafer surface is pressed. The plastic laminate protects the stainless steel base from attack by the polishing slurry and provides a buffer that protects the stainless steel base from mechanically damaging the wafer and vice versa.

Laminated wear ring

Workpiece carrier with adjustable pressure zones and barriers

A fluid delivery system is provided for delivering a fluid to a polishing surface of a chemical mechanical polishing tool. The system includes a polishing pad having a plurality of apertures, a plurality of layers having a network of grooves and a platen having an aperture. A fluid may be communicated to the aperture in the platen, through the grooves in the plurality of layers and finally through the plurality of apertures in the polishing pad. The size, position and number of apertures in the platen and the polishing pad and the size, position and number of grooves in each of the layers may be varied to control the distribution of fluid across the top surface of the polishing pad. Preferably, the distance a fluid must travel from the platen aperture through the grooves to any of the apertures in the polishing pad is substantially the same.

Apparatus for distributing a fluid through a polishing pad

The invention is a carrier that determines if a wafer has been properly loaded. The carrier includes a body having a cavity covered by a membrane, thereby forming an initial plenum. One or more annular ribs may extend from the body to the membrane to divide the initial plenum into a plurality of plenums. A sensor is positioned within one of the plenums to detect the presence of the wafer. Pump(s) with pressure regulators may be used to pressurize the plenum(s). A first plenum may be pressurized sufficient to hold the wafer to the membrane by creating a partial vacuum between the membrane and the wafer. A second plenum may be pressurized sufficient to urge the membrane away from the sensor if the wafer is not properly loaded in the carrier. If the membrane is near the sensor, the wafer has been properly loaded into the carrier.

Method and apparatus for sensing a wafer in a carrier

A work piece carrier head for a CMP or other polishing apparatus is configured to eliminate the slow band associated with the polishing of the surface of a work piece. The carrier head includes a wear ring that is positioned circumferentially about the work piece and that together with the work piece is pressed against a moving polishing pad. The wear ring is resiliently coupled to the body of the carrier head in a manner to avoid any overturning moment on the ring caused by the frictional force of the polishing pad against the wear ring.

Growing community of inventors

Gilbert, AZ, United States of America

Stephen C Schultz