Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080227367 | Substrate polishing metrology using interference signals - A method of polishing a substrate includes holding the substrate on a polishing pad with a polishing head, wherein the polishing pad is supported by a platen, creating relative motion between the substrate and the polishing pad to polish a side of the substrate, generating a light beam and directing the light beam towards the substrate to cause the light beam to impinge on the side of the substrate being polished. Light reflected from the substrate is at a detector to generate an interference signal. A measure of uniformity is computed from the interference signal. | 09-18-2008 |
20080268643 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR POLISHING CONTROL - A CMP station can be closed loop controlled by using data obtained by an inline metrology station from a first polished wafer to affect the processing of subsequent polished wafers. The first wafer is polished and measured by the inline metrology station. The metrology station measures at various points the array dielectric thickness, field dielectric thickness, barrier residue thickness and metal residue thickness. The data is then inputted into an algorithm and polishing parameter outputs are calculated. The outputs are sent to the CMP station and used to supplement or replace the previous polishing parameters. Subsequent wafers are polished on the CMP station using the revised polishing parameters. | 10-30-2008 |
20090145760 | ELECTROPHORETIC SOLAR CELL METALLIZATION PROCESS AND APPARATUS - Embodiments of the invention provide a novel apparatus and methods for forming a contact structure having metal lines formed using an electrophoretic deposition process. A substrate having a conductive or semiconductive layer is covered with an insulating layer and patterned to expose the conductive or semiconductive layer. The substrate is exposed to a processing medium comprising charged particles immersed in a dielectric fluid. An electric field is optionally applied. The charged particles deposit onto the exposed portions of the substrate and are then solidified in a reflow process. | 06-11-2009 |
20090253351 | FRICTION SENSOR FOR POLISHING SYSTEM - A system method and apparatus to monitor a frictional coefficient of a substrate undergoing polishing is described. A polishing pad assembly includes a polishing layer including a polishing surface, and a substrate contacting member flexibly coupled to the polishing layer having a top surface to contact an exposed surface of a substrate. At least a portion of the top surface is substantially coplanar with the polishing surface. A sensor is provided to measure a lateral displacement of the substrate contacting member. Some embodiments may provide accurate endpoint detection during chemical mechanical polishing to indicate the exposure of an underlying layer. | 10-08-2009 |
20100050779 | CARBON NANOTUBE-BASED LOAD CELLS - A robust, stand-alone load cell comprises a block of aligned carbon nanotubes with parallel electrodes on opposing sides of the block and an electrical circuit connected between the electrodes for measuring the electrical resistance of the block. The nanotubes are preferably aligned perpendicular to the electrodes. Carbon nanotube-based load cells may be incorporated into a wafer asssembly for characterizing semiconductor processing equipment. Such a wafer assembly includes two parallel wafers with a plurality of carbon nanotube load cells positioned between and attached to both wafers. The load cells are independently electrically connected to a device which monitors and records the resistivity of the load cell. According to further aspects of the invention, each of the load cell's parallel electrodes may be comprised of many small electrodes, where each small electrode on one side of the block has a corresponding small electrode on the opposing side of the block; corresponding pairs of small electrodes are connected in series to form a chain; an electrical circuit, connected to both ends of the chain of opposing pairs of electrodes, is used to measure the electrical resistance of the chain. | 03-04-2010 |
20100062684 | POLISHING SYSTEM WITH IN-LINE AND IN-SITU METROLOGY - A computer-implemented method for process control in chemical mechanical polishing in which an initial pre-polishing thickness of a substrate is measured at a metrology station, a parameter of an endpoint algorithm is determined from the initial thickness of the substrate, a substrates is polished at a polishing station, and polishing stops when an endpoint criterion is detected using the endpoint algorithm. | 03-11-2010 |
20100218784 | COPPER DEPOSITION CHAMBER HAVING INTEGRATED BEVEL CLEAN WITH EDGE BEVEL REMOVAL DETECTION - Embodiments of the invention generally provide apparatus and method for detecting and controlling edge bevel removal of a semiconductor substrate. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for inspecting a rotating substrate. The apparatus comprises a substrate support configured to support the rotating substrate on a back side and rotate the substrate about a central axis, and a sensor positioned above the substrate support, the sensor being configured to inspect a front side of the rotating substrate while moving simultaneously radially across the substrate. | 09-02-2010 |
20100240281 | SUBSTRATE POLISHING METROLOGY USING INTERFERENCE SIGNALS - A method of polishing a substrate includes holding the substrate on a polishing pad with a polishing head, wherein the polishing pad is supported by a platen, creating relative motion between the substrate and the polishing pad to polish a side of the substrate, generating a light beam and directing the light beam towards the substrate to cause the light beam to impinge on the side of the substrate being polished. Light reflected from the substrate is at a detector to generate an interference signal. A measure of uniformity is computed from the interference signal. | 09-23-2010 |
20100279516 | APPARATUS AND METHOD OF ALIGNING AND POSITIONING A COLD SUBSTRATE ON A HOT SURFACE - Embodiments of the invention contemplate a method, apparatus and system that are used to support and position a substrate on a surface that is at a different temperature than the initial, or incoming, substrate temperature. Embodiments of the invention may also include a method of controlling the transfer of heat between a substrate and substrate support positioned in a processing chamber. The apparatus and methods described herein generally may also provide an inexpensive and simple way of accurately positioning a substrate on a substrate support that is positioned in a semiconductor processing chamber. Substrate processing chambers that can benefit from the various embodiments described herein include, but are not limited to RTP, CVD, PVD, ALD, plasma etching, and/or laser annealing chambers. | 11-04-2010 |
20100297917 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IN-SITU ENDPOINT DETECTION FOR CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING OPERATIONS - An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of a wafer has a rotatable platen to hold a polishing pad, a polishing head for holding the wafer against the polishing pad, an optical monitoring system and a position sensor. The platen has a hole therein, the optical monitoring system includes a light source to direct a light beam through the aperture toward the wafer from a side of the wafer contacting the polishing pad and a detector to receive reflections of the light beam from the wafer, and the position sensor senses when the hole is adjacent the wafer such that the light beam generated by the light source can pass through the hole and impinge on the wafer. | 11-25-2010 |
20110031112 | IN-SITU PROFILE MEASUREMENT IN AN ELECTROPLATING PROCESS - A method and apparatus for measuring differential voltages in an electrolyte of an electrochemical plating cell. Current densities are calculated from the measured differential voltages and correlated to thickness values of plated materials. A real time thickness profile may be generated from the thickness values. | 02-10-2011 |
20110070808 | SUBSTRATE POLISHING METROLOGY USING INTERFERENCE SIGNALS - A polishing pad assembly for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a polishing pad having a polishing surface and a surface opposite the polishing surface for attachment to a platen, and a solid light-transmissive window formed in the polishing pad. The light-transmissive window is more transmissive to light than the polishing pad. The light-transmissive window has a light-diffusing bottom surface. | 03-24-2011 |
20110195528 | POLISHING SYSTEM WITH IN-LINE AND IN-SITU METROLOGY - A computer-implemented method for process control in chemical mechanical polishing in which an initial pre-polishing thickness of a substrate is measured at a metrology station, a parameter of an endpoint algorithm is determined from the initial thickness of the substrate, a substrates is polished at a polishing station, and polishing stops when an endpoint criterion is detected using the endpoint algorithm. | 08-11-2011 |
20110198229 | ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS BASED ON AN ARRAY OF ANODES - The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for plating conductive materials on a substrate. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for plating a conductive material on a substrate. The apparatus comprises a fluid basin configured to retain an electrolyte, a contact ring configured to support the substrate and contact the substrate electrically, and an anode assembly disposed in the fluid basin, wherein the anode assembly comprises a plurality of anode elements arranged in rows. | 08-18-2011 |
20110294402 | Eddy Current System for In-Situ Profile Measurement - An eddy current monitoring system may include an elongated core. One or more coils may be coupled with the elongated core for producing an oscillating magnetic field that may couple with one or more conductive regions on a wafer. The core may be translated relative to the wafer to provide improved resolution while maintaining sufficient signal strength. An eddy current monitoring system may include a DC-coupled marginal oscillator for producing an oscillating magnetic field at a resonant frequency, where the resonant frequency may change as a result of changes to one or more conductive regions. Eddy current monitoring systems may be used to enable real-time profile control. | 12-01-2011 |
20120107971 | SUBSTRATE POLISHING METROLOGY USING INTERFERENCE SIGNALS - A polishing pad assembly for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a polishing pad having a polishing surface and a surface opposite the polishing surface for attachment to a platen, and a solid light-transmissive window formed in the polishing pad. The light-transmissive window is more transmissive to light than the polishing pad. The light-transmissive window has a light-diffusing bottom surface. | 05-03-2012 |
20130038649 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROL OF PRINT GAP - Gas bearing systems, print gap control systems, and methods of print gap control are provided. The gas bearing systems can accommodate one or more print module packages. The systems and methods can be used for inkjet and/or thermal printing applications such as manufacturing organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). Gas bearing systems can employ one or more of pressurized gas and vacuum. For oxygen-sensitive applications, an inert gas, such as nitrogen gas, can be employed as the pressurized gas. Fluid channels and apertures of the gas bearing systems can be varied in terms of size and relative position to one another. Fluid channels and apertures can be grouped and paired with one or more manifolds and ultimately a pressurized gas and/or vacuum source. | 02-14-2013 |
20130130413 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IN-SITU ENDPOINT DETECTION FOR SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING OPERATIONS - An endpoint detection method includes processing an outer surface of a substrate, directing an incident light beam through a window in an opaque metal body onto the surface being processed, receiving at a detector a reflected light beam from the substrate and generating a signal from the detector, and generating a signal based on the reflected light beam received at the detector, and detecting a processing endpoint. The signal is a time-varying cyclic signal that varies as the thickness of the layer varies over time, and detecting the processing endpoint includes detecting that a portion of a cycle of the cyclic signal has passed, the portion being less than a full cycle of the cyclic signal. | 05-23-2013 |
20130167614 | FRICTION SENSOR FOR POLISHING SYSTEM - A system method and apparatus to monitor a frictional coefficient of a substrate undergoing polishing is described. A polishing pad assembly includes a polishing layer including a polishing surface, and a substrate contacting member flexibly coupled to the polishing layer having a top surface to contact an exposed surface of a substrate. At least a portion of the top surface is substantially coplanar with the polishing surface. A sensor is provided to measure a lateral displacement of the substrate contacting member. Some embodiments may provide accurate endpoint detection during chemical mechanical polishing to indicate the exposure of an underlying layer. | 07-04-2013 |
20130231032 | POLISHING PAD WITH TWO-SECTION WINDOW HAVING RECESS - A method of forming a polishing pad with a polishing layer having a polishing surface and a back surface. A plurality of grooves are formed on the polishing surface, and an indentation is formed in the back surface of the polishing layer. A region on the polishing surface corresponding to the indentation in the back surface is free of grooves or has shallower grooves. | 09-05-2013 |
20130295826 | POLISHING PAD FOR ENDPOINT DETECTION AND RELATED METHODS - A polishing pad has a polishing layer with a polishing surface and a back surface. A plurality of grooves are formed on the polishing surface, and an indentation is formed in the back surface of the polishing layer. A region on the polishing surface corresponding to the indentation in the back surface is free of grooves or has shallower grooves. | 11-07-2013 |
20140038501 | TRANSPARENT WINDOW IN A POLISHING PAD - A polishing pad assembly for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a polishing pad having a polishing surface and a surface opposite the polishing surface for attachment to a platen, and a solid light-transmissive window formed in the polishing pad. The light-transmissive window is more transmissive to light than the polishing pad. The light-transmissive window has a light-diffusing bottom surface. | 02-06-2014 |