The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 05, 2001
Filed:
Feb. 13, 1998
Charles Franklin Drill, Boulder Creek, CA (US);
Ian Robert Harvey, Livermore, CA (US);
VLSI Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
A system for dislodging by-product agglomerations from a polishing pad of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) machine. The present invention is used in conjunction with a CMP machine that polishes semiconductor wafers. Specifically, an embodiment of the dislodging system in accordance with the present invention includes a megasonic nozzle which is adapted to effectively dislodge polishing by-product agglomerations and particles from the grooves and micro-pits of the surface of a polishing pad through the application of an output stream of extremely agitated fluid (e.g., deionized water). One embodiment of the megasonic nozzle in accordance with the present invention includes two piezoelectric transducers which operate at a resonant frequency to produce the extremely agitated stream of fluid. A fluid line is connected to the megasonic nozzle and a fluid source in order to convey fluid to the megasonic nozzle. Within one embodiment of the present invention, a megasonic nozzle is mounted on a conditioner arm of a CMP machine near the end effector. As the polishing pad of the CMP machine rotates, the megasonic nozzle and the end effector translationally move towards and away from the center of the polishing pad such that the output stream of the megasonic nozzle covers nearly the entire surface of the polishing pad.