Applied Materials, Inc.

Venkata R Balagani

Trung Tri Doan

Steven M Zuniga

Hung Chih Chen

Charles C Garretson

Douglas R McAllister

Stacy Meyer

Michael Jon Fong

Aden Martin Allen

Romain Beau De Lamenie

Jeonghoon Oh

Sidney P Huey

Danny Cam Toan Lu

James Chang Wang

Jeffrey P Schmidt

Martin S Wohlert

Kerry F Hughes

Jian Lin

Kenny King-Tai Ngan

Yashraj K Bhatnagar

Krishna Vepa

Ronald Rayandayan

Timothy James Donohue

Romain Beau De Lomenie

Daniel Cam Toan Lu

George Lazari

Trung T Doan

James C Wang

Romain Beau Delamenie

Jeffrey Schmidt

A retaining ring can be shaped by machining or lapping the bottom surface of the ring to form a shaped profile in the bottom surface. The bottom surface of the retaining ring can include flat, sloped and curved portions. The lapping can be performed using a machine that dedicated for use in lapping the bottom surface of retaining rings. During the lapping the ring can be permitted to rotate freely about an axis of the ring. The bottom surface of the retaining ring can have curved or flat portions.

Method of forming retaining ring with shaped surface

Retaining ring with shaped surface and method of forming

Retaining ring with shaped surface

Retaining ring with Shaped Surface

A method of treating a substrate comprises depositing silicon oxycarbide on the substrate and removing the silicon oxycarbide from the substrate. The silicon oxycarbide on the substrate is decarbonized by exposure to an energized oxygen-containing gas that heats the substrate and converts the layer of silicon oxycarbide into a layer of silicon oxide. The silicon oxide is removed by exposure to a plasma of fluorine-containing process gas. Alternatively, the remaining silicon oxide can be removed by a fluorine-containing acidic bath. In yet another version, a plasma of a fluorine-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas is energized to remove the silicon oxycarbide from the substrate.

Removal of silicon oxycarbide from substrates

A polishing pad for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus has a body with a polishing surface having a radius, a central region, and a peripheral region. The polishing surface has a plurality of main radial-line channels extending radially outwardly from the central region to the peripheral region, each main radial-line channel having an angled outer segment at the peripheral region that is directed at an angle relative to a radius of the polishing surface. The polishing surface also has a plurality of primary tributary radial-line channels that are each connected by an angled transition segment to a main radial-line channel, the tributary radial-line channels being spaced apart from the main radial-line channels. The polishing pad provides an improved distribution and flow of polishing slurry during a polishing process.

Chemical mechanical polishing pad for controlling polishing slurry distribution

A polishing pad conditioner comprises a base and a pad conditioning face on the base. The conditioning face comprises central and peripheral regions. Abrasive spokes having a substantially constant width of abrasive particles, extend from the central to the peripheral region. The spokes are symmetric and radially spaced apart from one another, and may have a variety of shapes. The conditioning face can also have a cutout inlet channel to receive polishing slurry when the conditioning face is rubbed against a polishing pad, a conduit to receive the polishing slurry from the cutout inlet channel, and an outlet on the peripheral edge of the base to discharge the received polishing slurry.

Polishing pad conditioner with shaped abrasive patterns and channels

A recycled polishing pad conditioner comprises a base plate and a reversed abrasive disc that is flipped over from its original configuration. The reversed disc comprises an exposed abrasive face having an unused abrasive face comprising abrasive particles. A bond face of the disc is affixed to the base plate, the bond face comprising a used abrasive face that was previously used to condition polishing pads. Also described is a pad conditioner having an abrasive face comprising exposed portions of abrasive particles, with at least about 60% of the abrasive particles having a crystalline structure with substantially the same crystal symmetry.

Polishing pad conditioner and methods of manufacture and recycling

Growing community of inventors

Gilroy, CA, United States of America

Venkata R Balagani