US20030143933A1 - Apparatus for polishing a wafer - Google Patents
Apparatus for polishing a wafer Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20030143933A1 US20030143933A1 US10/351,589 US35158903A US2003143933A1 US 20030143933 A1 US20030143933 A1 US 20030143933A1 US 35158903 A US35158903 A US 35158903A US 2003143933 A1 US2003143933 A1 US 2003143933A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- arm
- polishing
- polishing pad
- recited
- cleaning
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 238000005498 polishing Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 97
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 52
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 18
- 239000002002 slurry Substances 0.000 claims description 40
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 21
- 235000012431 wafers Nutrition 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 7
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 7
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000003153 chemical reaction reagent Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000003647 oxidation Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000007254 oxidation reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000007517 polishing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000003517 fume Substances 0.000 description 2
- AXCZMVOFGPJBDE-UHFFFAOYSA-L calcium dihydroxide Chemical compound [OH-].[OH-].[Ca+2] AXCZMVOFGPJBDE-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 1
- 239000000920 calcium hydroxide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910001861 calcium hydroxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007809 chemical reaction catalyst Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003750 conditioning effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000377 silicon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000012239 silicon dioxide Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006467 substitution reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
- B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- B24B55/00—Safety devices for grinding or polishing machines; Accessories fitted to grinding or polishing machines for keeping tools or parts of the machine in good working condition
- B24B55/02—Equipment for cooling the grinding surfaces, e.g. devices for feeding coolant
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
- H01L21/302—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to change their surface-physical characteristics or shape, e.g. etching, polishing, cutting
- H01L21/304—Mechanical treatment, e.g. grinding, polishing, cutting
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
- B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- B24B37/00—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories
- B24B37/04—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories designed for working plane surfaces
Definitions
- the present invention generally relates to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a CMP apparatus for polishing a film formed on a wafer surface.
- CMP chemical mechanical polishing
- CMP Chemical mechanical polishing
- platen a polishing pad that is mounted upon a circular rotatable plate
- a polishing head tightly holds the substrate, and a pressure is applied bring the surface of the substrate against the polishing pad.
- Slurry is supplied onto the polishing pad to remove or abrade the surface of the substrate.
- a reagent in the slurry reacts on a film formed on the substrate surface to facilitate the polishing. Reactions of the substrate surface, the reagent, the polishing pad, and frictional particles make it possible to polish the film.
- polishing pad can easily become contaminated by materials removed from the slurry and the substrate. Further, the removed materials can deteriorate the effectiveness of subsequent polishing processes. Accordingly, it is a general practice to clean the pad during and/or between polishing processes.
- the rinse arm since the machine operator cannot readily access slurries sticking to the guard inner wall of the rinse arm, the rinse arm must be detached from the polishing apparatus in order to clean the rinse arm (or remove the slurries). Likewise, since the rinse arm is opened to an end without a guard, any DI water splashed thereto can contaminate a rotating polishing head that holds the wafer in front of a rinse arm. Finally, eddy currents may be formed in the rinse arm by the spray angle of spray nozzles when the high-pressure DI water is supplied. These eddy current in the rinse arm can disadvantageously result in a partial oversupply phenomenon.
- an apparatus for planarizing wafers includes a polishing pad, a platen, and a cleaning apparatus which provides a cleaning fluid for cleaning the polishing head.
- the cleaning apparatus includes a shaft located outside a periphery of the polishing pad, and an arm mounted to the shaft and extending over the polishing pad such that a bottom surface of the arm confronts the polishing surface of the polishing pad. Further, a cleaning fluid path is defined in the arm along a length of the arm, and first drop holes are defined in the arm which are fluidly connected to the cleaning fluid path and which drop cleaning fluid onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad.
- the arm of the cleaning apparatus may further include a second drop hole which is fluidly connected to the cleaning fluid path and which drops the cleaning fluid onto a side surface of the polishing head.
- the second drop hole may be located at a distal end of the arm adjacent to the side surface of the polishing head.
- At least one slurry path may further be defined in the arm along the length of the arm, and the apparatus further include a nozzle fluidly connected to the slurry path to supply slurry onto the polishing pad.
- a the nozzle may be inserted into a receiving hole which is defined in the arm and which has a hole, communicating with the slurry path, into which the nozzle is inserted.
- the arm of the cleaning apparatus may be formed of a monolithic body, and may have a first portion which extends lengthwise from the base, a second portion which extends lengthwise at an angle from the first portion, and a third portion which extends lengthwise at an angle from the second portion.
- FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a CMP apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a partial top plan view of the CMP apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning arm taken along a line I-I′ of FIG. 2;
- FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning arm shown in FIG. 2;
- FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the CMP apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
- the CMP apparatus 100 generally includes a polishing station 110 , a polishing head assembly 150 , and a cleaning apparatus 130 .
- the polishing head assembly 150 has a polishing head 152 , a drive shaft 154 , and a motor 156 .
- a wafer (not shown) is mounted to the polishing head 152 , and the polishing head 152 provides a controllable pressure so as to push the wafer against the polishing pad 122 .
- the polishing head 152 may be rotated by means of the drive shaft 154 at 40-70 rpm. Of course, the rate of rotation may be higher or lower than 40-70 rpm.
- two or more negative air pressure or vacuum channels may be contained in the polishing head 152 to suction mount the wafer. Of course, respective pumps would then be connected to such channels.
- the polishing station 110 has a rotatable platen 120 to which the polishing pad 122 is attached.
- the platen 120 is coupled to a platen rotating device such as a motor and rotatable shaft (not shown). Under an ideal state, the platen rotating device rotates the platen 120 at 50-80 rpm. Of course, the rate of rotation may be higher or lower than 50-80 rpm.
- the polishing pad 122 may be a combination material having a rough polishing surface.
- the polishing station 110 may also include a conditioning device 114 as is know in the art.
- the cleaning apparatus 130 serves to clean the polishing pad 122 and a side of the polishing head 152 which are contaminated by slurry during a planarization process, and further serves to provide the slurry used in the planarization process.
- the cleaning apparatus 130 removes solidified slurry and contaminants on a surface of the polishing pad 122 and in grooves thereof.
- the slurry may include a reagent (e.g., DI water for oxidation polishing), frictional particles (e.g., silicon dioxide for oxidation polishing), and a chemical reaction catalyst (e.g., calcium hydroxide for oxidation polishing).
- FIG. 2 is a partial top plan view of the CMP apparatus shown in FIG. 1
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning arm 134 taken along a line I-I′ of FIG. 2
- FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning arm shown in FIG. 2
- FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the CMP apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
- the cleaning apparatus 130 includes a shaft 132 that is disposed outside the periphery of platen 120 , and an arm 134 that is pivotably coupled to the shaft 132 and disposed so as to extend over the polishing pad 122 .
- the arm 134 is pivotably mounted upon the shaft 132 in order to be rotated between a cleaning position over the polishing pad 122 and a stand-by position adjacent to the platen 120 .
- the arm 134 which is preferably formed of a monolithic (one piece) body, has a base portion 134 a coupled to the shaft 132 , a first extension 134 b extending from the base 134 a, a second extension 134 c extending at an angle relative to and from the first extension 134 b, and a third extension 134 d extending at an angle relative to and from the second extension 134 c.
- the extensions 134 b, 134 c, and 134 d that are formed in an angled relation to allow the end 134 e of the arm 134 to be placed closely adjacent to the polishing pad 152 while avoiding a collision between the remainder of the arm 134 and the polishing pad 152 .
- a barrier wall 135 may be formed at a bottom of the base 134 a.
- the barrier wall 135 prevents slurry and unwanted debris from splashing into the shaft during a planarization or cleaning process.
- the arm 134 has a cleaning water transfer path 136 and a slurry transfer path 140 .
- a cleaning water is transferred to first drop holes 137 and second drop holes 138 through the cleaning water transfer path 136 .
- Slurry is transferred to a nozzle 142 , which is installed at the third extension 134 d of the arm 134 , through the slurry transfer path 140 .
- the first drop holes 137 are spaced apart at a bottom of the arm 134 along a length of the arm 134 . At least one of the first drop hole 137 may disposed to drop the cleaning water onto a sidewall of the platen 120 (see FIG. 5).
- the second drop holes 138 are formed at an end side of the arm 134 (i.e., the third extension 134 d ).
- the second drop holes 138 are preferably formed at a position nearest the side of the polishing head 152 .
- the cleaning water expelled from the first drop holes 137 cleans the polishing pad 122 and a side 120 a of the platen 120 .
- the cleaning water expelled from the second drop hole 138 cleans a side of the polishing head 152 .
- the arm 134 may have a flat bottom surface, but, referring to FIG. 3, the arm 134 preferably has an arch-shaped bottom surface 139 to minimize surface area which horizontally confronts the polishing pad 122 , thus reducing the amount of unwanted debris (including slurry) that will stick to the bottom of the arm 134 .
- the arch-shaped bottom surface 139 also enhances access to the bottom of the arm 134 , thus facilitating cleaning of the arm by the machine operator.
- the bottom surface of the arm 134 may be formed in other ways, such as by inclined walls and so on.
- cleaning water drops onto a surface of the polishing pad 122 through the first drop holes 137 to clean the surface of the polishing pad 122 and a side 120 a of the platen 120 .
- Cleaning water is also dropped from the second drop holes 138 along a side of the polishing head 152 to prevent unwanted debris including slurry from being solidified on the side of the polishing head 152 .
- the cleaning water flows through and drops from the drop holes of the arm 134 . Since the water is not expelled under high-pressure by a nozzle, splashing is avoided or minimized. Likewise, the fume phenomenon can be avoided as well.
- the cleaning apparatus 130 has a slurry transfer path 140 that is formed in the arm 134 , and a nozzle 142 that is connected to the slurry transfer path 140 and sprays slurry onto the polishing pad.
- the nozzle 142 is for spraying slurry onto the polishing pad 122 during polishing and is inserted or screwed into a hole 144 .
- the hole 144 is formed at the third extension of the arm 134 and is connected to the slurry transfer path 140 .
- paths for sending fluid to the arm 134 are formed at the shaft 132 . Theses paths supply needed fluid from supply sources associated with the CMP apparatus to the cleaning water transfer path and the slurry transfer path of the arm 134 .
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Treatment Of Semiconductor (AREA)
- Finish Polishing, Edge Sharpening, And Grinding By Specific Grinding Devices (AREA)
Abstract
A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus includes a polishing pad, a platen, and a cleaning apparatus which provides a cleaning fluid for cleaning the polishing head. The cleaning apparatus includes a shaft located outside a periphery of the polishing pad, and an arm mounted to the shaft and extending over the polishing pad such that a bottom surface of the arm confronts the polishing surface of the polishing pad. Further, a cleaning fluid path is defined in the arm along a length of the arm, and first drop holes are defined in the arm which are fluidly connected to the cleaning fluid path and which drop cleaning fluid onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention generally relates to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a CMP apparatus for polishing a film formed on a wafer surface.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is one accepted method of planarization. In a typical CMP apparatus, the exposed surface of a substrate is placed against a polishing pad that is mounted upon a circular rotatable plate (so-called “platen”). A polishing head tightly holds the substrate, and a pressure is applied bring the surface of the substrate against the polishing pad. Slurry is supplied onto the polishing pad to remove or abrade the surface of the substrate. A reagent in the slurry reacts on a film formed on the substrate surface to facilitate the polishing. Reactions of the substrate surface, the reagent, the polishing pad, and frictional particles make it possible to polish the film.
- One problem encountered in connection the CMP apparatus is that the polishing pad can easily become contaminated by materials removed from the slurry and the substrate. Further, the removed materials can deteriorate the effectiveness of subsequent polishing processes. Accordingly, it is a general practice to clean the pad during and/or between polishing processes.
- One apparatus for cleaning a polishing pad using a rinse arm is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,299 entitled “COMBINED SLURRY DISPENSER AND RINSE ARM” issued to the Applied Materials Inc., issued on Feb. 16, 2000. In this apparatus, high-pressure de-ionized (DI) water for cleaning a polishing pad is sprayed at high pressure through spray nozzles. However, apparatus of this type suffer a number of drawbacks. For example, the high pressure of the sprayed DI water cause the slurry to rebound (or splash) so as to be dispersed all over the polishing apparatus, resulting in slurries which solidify at the rinse arm and the polishing head, referred to here as a second contamination. Particularly, most slurries rebounding off the polishing pad stick to a guard inner wall of a guard of the rinse arm. The slurries solidified on the guard inner wall tend to drop down onto the polishing pad in the polishing process to cause macro and micro snatches, which reduces yields. These slurries solidified on the guard inner wall are the principal factor in the generation of particles and scratches. Further, the high-pressure DI water, which is sprayed through spray nozzles, results in a fume phenomenon where an inside of the polishing apparatus is contaminated on an air current. Also, since the machine operator cannot readily access slurries sticking to the guard inner wall of the rinse arm, the rinse arm must be detached from the polishing apparatus in order to clean the rinse arm (or remove the slurries). Likewise, since the rinse arm is opened to an end without a guard, any DI water splashed thereto can contaminate a rotating polishing head that holds the wafer in front of a rinse arm. Finally, eddy currents may be formed in the rinse arm by the spray angle of spray nozzles when the high-pressure DI water is supplied. These eddy current in the rinse arm can disadvantageously result in a partial oversupply phenomenon.
- Generally, when high-pressure DI water is sprayed so as to clean a polishing pad after supplying slurries to the polishing pad, slurries and contaminants on the polishing pad are splashed so as to adhere to the rinse arm (particularly, the guard inner wall) and peripheral devices. For example, slurries or contaminants at a bottom of the polishing pad can mixed with the splashed high-pressure DI water. If the slurries or contaminants adhere to each internal part of the polishing apparatus, they can dry (solidify) to become a source of particle contamination and a micro-scratches. Micro-scratches are particularly damaging to yields as they often result in the electrical shorting of insulating layers, a gate brigdes and so forth. Moreover, if the slurries and contaminants remain at internal edges of the polishing apparatus, it is nearly impossible to effectively perform the cleaning process, thus reducing the overall reliability of the CMP process.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for planarizing wafers includes a polishing pad, a platen, and a cleaning apparatus which provides a cleaning fluid for cleaning the polishing head. The cleaning apparatus includes a shaft located outside a periphery of the polishing pad, and an arm mounted to the shaft and extending over the polishing pad such that a bottom surface of the arm confronts the polishing surface of the polishing pad. Further, a cleaning fluid path is defined in the arm along a length of the arm, and first drop holes are defined in the arm which are fluidly connected to the cleaning fluid path and which drop cleaning fluid onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad.
- The arm of the cleaning apparatus may further include a second drop hole which is fluidly connected to the cleaning fluid path and which drops the cleaning fluid onto a side surface of the polishing head. The second drop hole may be located at a distal end of the arm adjacent to the side surface of the polishing head.
- At least one slurry path may further be defined in the arm along the length of the arm, and the apparatus further include a nozzle fluidly connected to the slurry path to supply slurry onto the polishing pad. A the nozzle may be inserted into a receiving hole which is defined in the arm and which has a hole, communicating with the slurry path, into which the nozzle is inserted.
- The arm of the cleaning apparatus may be formed of a monolithic body, and may have a first portion which extends lengthwise from the base, a second portion which extends lengthwise at an angle from the first portion, and a third portion which extends lengthwise at an angle from the second portion.
- The above and other aspects and features of the present invention will become readily understood from the detailed description that follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
- FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a CMP apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 2 is a partial top plan view of the CMP apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning arm taken along a line I-I′ of FIG. 2;
- FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning arm shown in FIG. 2; and
- FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the CMP apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
- Referring initially to FIG. 1, a
CMP apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown, theCMP apparatus 100 generally includes apolishing station 110, apolishing head assembly 150, and acleaning apparatus 130. - The
polishing head assembly 150 has apolishing head 152, adrive shaft 154, and amotor 156. A wafer (not shown) is mounted to thepolishing head 152, and thepolishing head 152 provides a controllable pressure so as to push the wafer against thepolishing pad 122. The polishinghead 152 may be rotated by means of thedrive shaft 154 at 40-70 rpm. Of course, the rate of rotation may be higher or lower than 40-70 rpm. Although not shown, two or more negative air pressure or vacuum channels may be contained in thepolishing head 152 to suction mount the wafer. Of course, respective pumps would then be connected to such channels. - The
polishing station 110 has arotatable platen 120 to which thepolishing pad 122 is attached. Theplaten 120 is coupled to a platen rotating device such as a motor and rotatable shaft (not shown). Under an ideal state, the platen rotating device rotates theplaten 120 at 50-80 rpm. Of course, the rate of rotation may be higher or lower than 50-80 rpm. Thepolishing pad 122 may be a combination material having a rough polishing surface. Thepolishing station 110 may also include aconditioning device 114 as is know in the art. - The
cleaning apparatus 130 serves to clean thepolishing pad 122 and a side of thepolishing head 152 which are contaminated by slurry during a planarization process, and further serves to provide the slurry used in the planarization process. Thecleaning apparatus 130 removes solidified slurry and contaminants on a surface of thepolishing pad 122 and in grooves thereof. For example, the slurry may include a reagent (e.g., DI water for oxidation polishing), frictional particles (e.g., silicon dioxide for oxidation polishing), and a chemical reaction catalyst (e.g., calcium hydroxide for oxidation polishing). - The
cleaning apparatus 130 will now be described more fully with reference to FIG. 2 through FIG. 5, in which like elements are identified by the same reference numbers. Particularly, FIG. 2 is a partial top plan view of the CMP apparatus shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of thecleaning arm 134 taken along a line I-I′ of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning arm shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the CMP apparatus shown in FIG. 1. - The
cleaning apparatus 130 includes ashaft 132 that is disposed outside the periphery ofplaten 120, and anarm 134 that is pivotably coupled to theshaft 132 and disposed so as to extend over thepolishing pad 122. - The
arm 134 is pivotably mounted upon theshaft 132 in order to be rotated between a cleaning position over thepolishing pad 122 and a stand-by position adjacent to theplaten 120. Thearm 134, which is preferably formed of a monolithic (one piece) body, has abase portion 134 a coupled to theshaft 132, afirst extension 134 b extending from the base 134 a, asecond extension 134 c extending at an angle relative to and from thefirst extension 134 b, and athird extension 134 d extending at an angle relative to and from thesecond extension 134 c. Theextensions end 134 e of thearm 134 to be placed closely adjacent to thepolishing pad 152 while avoiding a collision between the remainder of thearm 134 and thepolishing pad 152. - As shown in FIG. 5, a
barrier wall 135 may be formed at a bottom of the base 134 a. Thebarrier wall 135 prevents slurry and unwanted debris from splashing into the shaft during a planarization or cleaning process. - Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the
arm 134 has a cleaningwater transfer path 136 and aslurry transfer path 140. A cleaning water is transferred to first drop holes 137 and second drop holes 138 through the cleaningwater transfer path 136. Slurry is transferred to anozzle 142, which is installed at thethird extension 134 d of thearm 134, through theslurry transfer path 140. The first drop holes 137 are spaced apart at a bottom of thearm 134 along a length of thearm 134. At least one of thefirst drop hole 137 may disposed to drop the cleaning water onto a sidewall of the platen 120 (see FIG. 5). The second drop holes 138 are formed at an end side of the arm 134 (i.e., thethird extension 134 d). For example, the second drop holes 138 are preferably formed at a position nearest the side of the polishinghead 152. Referring to FIG. 5, the cleaning water expelled from the first drop holes 137 cleans thepolishing pad 122 and aside 120 a of theplaten 120. The cleaning water expelled from thesecond drop hole 138 cleans a side of the polishinghead 152. - The
arm 134 may have a flat bottom surface, but, referring to FIG. 3, thearm 134 preferably has an arch-shapedbottom surface 139 to minimize surface area which horizontally confronts thepolishing pad 122, thus reducing the amount of unwanted debris (including slurry) that will stick to the bottom of thearm 134. Advantageously, the arch-shapedbottom surface 139 also enhances access to the bottom of thearm 134, thus facilitating cleaning of the arm by the machine operator. Of course, the bottom surface of thearm 134 may be formed in other ways, such as by inclined walls and so on. - Referring to FIG. 5, cleaning water drops onto a surface of the
polishing pad 122 through the first drop holes 137 to clean the surface of thepolishing pad 122 and aside 120 a of theplaten 120. Cleaning water is also dropped from the second drop holes 138 along a side of the polishinghead 152 to prevent unwanted debris including slurry from being solidified on the side of the polishinghead 152. - As shown above, the cleaning water flows through and drops from the drop holes of the
arm 134. Since the water is not expelled under high-pressure by a nozzle, splashing is avoided or minimized. Likewise, the fume phenomenon can be avoided as well. - Returning to FIG. 2, the
cleaning apparatus 130 has aslurry transfer path 140 that is formed in thearm 134, and anozzle 142 that is connected to theslurry transfer path 140 and sprays slurry onto the polishing pad. Thenozzle 142 is for spraying slurry onto thepolishing pad 122 during polishing and is inserted or screwed into ahole 144. Thehole 144 is formed at the third extension of thearm 134 and is connected to theslurry transfer path 140. - Although not shown in the figure, paths for sending fluid to the
arm 134 are formed at theshaft 132. Theses paths supply needed fluid from supply sources associated with the CMP apparatus to the cleaning water transfer path and the slurry transfer path of thearm 134. - The present invention is thus not limited to the details of the illustrated embodiment. Accordingly, the above description and drawings are only to be considered illustrative of exemplary embodiments which achieve the features and advantages of the present invention. Modifications and substitutions to specific process conditions and structures may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be considered as being limited by the foregoing description and drawings, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (12)
1. An apparatus for planarizing wafers, comprising:
a polishing station having a platen to which a polishing pad having a polishing surface is attached;
a polishing head located over the polishing surface of the polishing pad; and
a cleaning apparatus which supplies a cleaning fluid onto the polishing pad, and which includes a shaft located outside a periphery of the polishing pad, and an arm mounted to the shaft and extending over the polishing pad such that a bottom surface of the arm confronts the polishing surface of the polishing pad;
wherein a cleaning fluid path is defined in the arm along a length of the arm, and wherein first drop holes are defined in the arm which are fluidly connected to the cleaning fluid path and which drop cleaning fluid onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad.
2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the arm is a flat surface.
3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the arm is a curved surface.
4. The apparatus as recited in claim 2 , wherein the first drop holes are formed at the bottom surface of the arm.
5. The apparatus as recited in claim 3 , wherein the first drop holes are formed at the bottom surface of the arm.
6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the arm further includes at least one second drop hole which is fluidly connected to the cleaning fluid path and which drops the cleaning fluid onto a side surface of the polishing head.
7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the second drop hole is located at a distal end of the arm adjacent to the side surface of the polishing head.
8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one slurry path is further defined in the arm along the length of the arm, and wherein the apparatus further includes a nozzle fluidly connected to the slurry path to supply slurry onto the polishing pad.
9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8 , wherein the nozzle is inserted into a receiving hole which is defined in the arm and which has a hole, communicating with the slurry path, into which the nozzle is inserted.
10. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the arm has a first portion which extends lengthwise from the base, a second portion which extends lengthwise at an angle from the first portion, and a third portion which extends lengthwise at an angle from the second portion.
11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10 , wherein the arm is formed of a monolithic body.
12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cleaning water is a de-ionized (DI) water.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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KR02-04777 | 2002-01-28 | ||
KR10-2002-0004777A KR100445634B1 (en) | 2002-01-28 | 2002-01-28 | an apparatus for polishing semiconductor wafer |
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US20030143933A1 true US20030143933A1 (en) | 2003-07-31 |
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/351,589 Abandoned US20030143933A1 (en) | 2002-01-28 | 2003-01-27 | Apparatus for polishing a wafer |
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KR (1) | KR100445634B1 (en) |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7108588B1 (en) | 2005-04-05 | 2006-09-19 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | System, method, and apparatus for wetting slurry delivery tubes in a chemical mechanical polishing process to prevent clogging thereof |
US20140162536A1 (en) * | 2012-10-31 | 2014-06-12 | Ebara Corporation | Polishing apparatus and polishing method |
US9205529B2 (en) | 2011-06-21 | 2015-12-08 | United Microelectronics Corp. | Dispenser for chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus, CMP apparatus having the dispenser, and CMP process using the CMP apparatus |
CN106272075A (en) * | 2015-05-22 | 2017-01-04 | 中芯国际集成电路制造(上海)有限公司 | Grinding pad trimming device and grinding pad method for trimming |
CN106312795A (en) * | 2015-07-01 | 2017-01-11 | 不二越机械工业株式会社 | Polishing apparatus |
CN111070076A (en) * | 2019-12-18 | 2020-04-28 | 华虹半导体(无锡)有限公司 | Chemical mechanical polishing equipment |
CN113286681A (en) * | 2018-08-14 | 2021-08-20 | 伊利诺斯工具制品有限公司 | Splash guard for grinding and polishing machines and grinding and polishing machines with splash guard |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR100799079B1 (en) * | 2003-12-23 | 2008-01-28 | 동부일렉트로닉스 주식회사 | Polishing pad conditioner |
US11298798B2 (en) * | 2020-02-14 | 2022-04-12 | Nanya Technology Corporation | Polishing delivery apparatus |
Family Cites Families (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6139406A (en) * | 1997-06-24 | 2000-10-31 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Combined slurry dispenser and rinse arm and method of operation |
-
2002
- 2002-01-28 KR KR10-2002-0004777A patent/KR100445634B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2003
- 2003-01-27 US US10/351,589 patent/US20030143933A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US7108588B1 (en) | 2005-04-05 | 2006-09-19 | Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. | System, method, and apparatus for wetting slurry delivery tubes in a chemical mechanical polishing process to prevent clogging thereof |
US20060223426A1 (en) * | 2005-04-05 | 2006-10-05 | Hung-Chin Guthrie | System, method, and apparatus for wetting slurry delivery tubes in a chemical mechanical polishing process to prevent clogging thereof |
US9205529B2 (en) | 2011-06-21 | 2015-12-08 | United Microelectronics Corp. | Dispenser for chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus, CMP apparatus having the dispenser, and CMP process using the CMP apparatus |
US20140162536A1 (en) * | 2012-10-31 | 2014-06-12 | Ebara Corporation | Polishing apparatus and polishing method |
US9409277B2 (en) * | 2012-10-31 | 2016-08-09 | Ebara Corporation | Polishing apparatus and polishing method |
CN106272075A (en) * | 2015-05-22 | 2017-01-04 | 中芯国际集成电路制造(上海)有限公司 | Grinding pad trimming device and grinding pad method for trimming |
CN106312795A (en) * | 2015-07-01 | 2017-01-11 | 不二越机械工业株式会社 | Polishing apparatus |
CN113286681A (en) * | 2018-08-14 | 2021-08-20 | 伊利诺斯工具制品有限公司 | Splash guard for grinding and polishing machines and grinding and polishing machines with splash guard |
CN111070076A (en) * | 2019-12-18 | 2020-04-28 | 华虹半导体(无锡)有限公司 | Chemical mechanical polishing equipment |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
KR20030064469A (en) | 2003-08-02 |
KR100445634B1 (en) | 2004-08-25 |
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