Motorola Corporation

Other

Todd W Buley

James F Vanell

Albert B Stubbmann

Jerry Wayne Zimmer

The present invention is a polishing pad conditioning head for a CMP and similar types of apparatus that is especially useful in conditioning the surface of fixed-abrasive CMP polishing pads to maintain optimal process conditions for the planarization process on dielectric and metal films on semiconductor wafers, as well as wafers and disks used in computer hard disk drives. The polishing pad conditioning head comprises a substrate and a layer of fine-grain chemical vapor deposited polycrystalline diamond that is bonded onto the substrate. Alternatively, a thin sheet of polycrystalline diamond may be deposited on a preferred growth substrate by a chemical vapor deposition process, then removed from the growth substrate and then bonded to the CMP conditioning disk substrate.

Fixed abrasive planarization pad conditioner incorporating chemical vapor deposited polycrystalline diamond and method for making same

A chemical mechanical planarization tool that reduces a volume of polishing chemistry used in a wafer polishing process includes a rinse bar (87) for removing polishing chemistry and particulates from a polishing media and a slurry measurement system (84) for regulating a pump (83) of a slurry delivery system. A volume of the slurry delivery system is reduced to less than 100 milliliters. Approximately a minimum volume of polishing chemistry for polishing a single wafer is dispensed during each wafer polishing process of a wafer lot. During each wafer polishing process the slurry delivery system is purged to prevent settling, agglomeration, and hardening of the polishing chemistry. The rinse bar (87) sprays a surface of the polishing media to remove spent polishing chemistry and particulates prior to polishing another semiconductor wafer.

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Mesa, AZ, United States of America

Todd W Buley