Ehwa Diamond Industrial Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Youn Chul Kim

Seh Kwang Lee

Jae Phil Boo

Joo Han Lee

Jae Kwang Choi

Provided is a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus that includes a swing unit installed apart from a platen, on which a CMP pad to be conditioned is placed, at a predetermined interval, a connector installed on an upper end of the swing unit at one end thereof in a perpendicular direction to the swing unit and pivoting around the swing unit above the CMP pad, a rotator rotatably installed on the other end of the connector, a CMP pad conditioner coupled to the rotator and conditioning the CMP pad when rotated, and a vibration meter installed on the connector and detecting vibrations to measure a vibration acceleration of the CMP pad conditioner, thereby predicting a wear rate of the CMP pad based on the vibration acceleration and a state in which the CMP pad conditioner is installed or being used.

CMP apparatus

This invention relates to a conditioner for a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) pad, which is used in a CMP process which is part of the fabrication of a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a CMP pad conditioner in which the structure of the cutting tips is such that the change in the wear of the polishing pad is not great even when different kinds of slurry are used and when there are changes in pressure of the conditioner, and to a method of manufacturing the same.

Growing community of inventors

Hwaseong-si, South Korea

Youn Chul Kim