Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080293339 | Retainer Ring - A retainer ring and a method of using the retainer ring are provided. The retainer ring has openings along a bottom surface. Grooves encompass the openings and extend to an interior portion of the retainer ring wherein a semiconductor wafer may be held. In operation, a semiconductor wafer is placed inside the retainer ring. As the retainer ring and the semiconductor wafer are moved relative to an underlying polishing pad, slurry is dispensed through the openings in the retainer ring. The grooves in the retainer ring allow the slurry to flow from the openings to the interior portion of the retainer ring and the semiconductor wafer. | 11-27-2008 |
20100112912 | Retainer Ring - A retainer ring and a method of using the retainer ring are provided. The retainer ring has openings along a bottom surface. Grooves encompass the openings and extend to an interior portion of the retainer ring wherein a semiconductor wafer may be held. In operation, a semiconductor wafer is placed inside the retainer ring. As the retainer ring and the semiconductor wafer are moved relative to an underlying polishing pad, slurry is dispensed through the openings in the retainer ring. The grooves in the retainer ring allow the slurry to flow from the openings to the interior portion of the retainer ring and the semiconductor wafer. | 05-06-2010 |
20100187444 | FIELD-BY-FIELD LASER ANNEALING AND FEED FORWARD PROCESS CONTROL - A method includes dividing a semiconductor wafer into a plurality of dies areas, generating a map of the semiconductor wafer, scanning each of the plurality of die areas of the semiconductor wafer with a laser, and adjusting a parameter of the laser during the scanning based on a value of the die areas identified by the map of the semiconductor wafer. The map characterizing the die areas based on a first measurement of each individual die area. | 07-29-2010 |
20100277850 | Multi-Zone Electrostatic Chuck and Chucking Method - A method for processing a semiconductor wafer comprises measuring data indicating an amount of warpage of the wafer. At least two different voltages are determined, based on the amount of warpage. The voltages are to be applied to respective portions of the wafer by an electrostatic chuck that is to hold the wafer. The at least two different voltages are applied to hold the respective portions of the wafer while performing a fabrication process on the wafer. | 11-04-2010 |
20100291840 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONDITIONING CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING APPARATUS USING MULTIPLE CONDITIONING DISKS - A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus provides for polishing semiconductor wafers and for conditioning the polishing pad of the CMP apparatus using multiple conditioning disks at the same time. The conditioning disks may be moved together or independently along the surface of polishing pad to condition the entire surface of the rotating polishing pad. | 11-18-2010 |
20130210173 | Multiple Zone Temperature Control for CMP - To provide improved planarization, techniques in accordance with this disclosure include a CMP station that includes a plurality of concentric temperature control elements arranged over a number of concentric to-be-polished wafer surfaces. During polishing, a wafer surface planarity sensor monitors relative heights of the concentric to-be-polished wafer surfaces, and adjusts the temperatures of the concentric temperature control elements to provide an extremely well planarized wafer surface. Other systems and methods are also disclosed. | 08-15-2013 |
20130210323 | CMP Pad Cleaning Apparatus - The present disclosure relates to a two-phase cleaning element that enhances polishing pad cleaning so as to prevent wafer scratches and contamination in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes. In some embodiments, the two-phase pad cleaning element comprises a first cleaning element and a second cleaning element configured to successively operate upon a section of a CMP polishing pad. The first cleaning element comprises a megasonic cleaning jet configured to utilize cavitation energy to dislodge particles embedded in the CMP polishing pad without damaging the surface of the polishing pad. The second cleaning element is configured to apply a high pressure mist, comprising two fluids, to remove by-products from the CMP polishing pad. By using megasonic cleaning to dislodge embedded particles a two-fluid mist to flush away by-products (e.g., including the dislodged embedded particles), the two-phase pad cleaning element enhances polishing pad cleaning. | 08-15-2013 |
20130217306 | CMP Groove Depth and Conditioning Disk Monitoring - Some embodiments relate to a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system. The CMP system includes a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and a wafer carrier to retain a wafer proximate to the polishing surface during polishing. A motor assembly rotates the polishing pad and concurrently rotates the wafer during polishing of the wafer. A conditioning disk has a conditioning surface that is in frictional engagement with the polishing surface during polishing. A torque measurement element measures a torque exerted by the motor assembly during polishing. A condition surface analyzer determines a surface condition of the conditioning surface or the polishing surface based on the measured torque. Other systems and methods are also disclosed. | 08-22-2013 |
20140159243 | Metal Conductor Chemical Mechanical Polish - The present disclosure provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, a semiconductor device fabricated by such a method, and a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) tool for performing such a method. In one embodiment, a method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes providing an integrated circuit (IC) wafer including a metal conductor in a trench of a dielectric layer over a substrate, and performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to planarize the metal conductor and the dielectric layer. The method further includes cleaning the planarized metal conductor and dielectric layer to remove residue from the CMP process, rinsing the cleaned metal conductor and dielectric layer with an alcohol, and drying the rinsed metal conductor and dielectric layer in an inert gas environment. | 06-12-2014 |
20140220863 | HIGH THROUGHPUT CMP PLATFORM - A chemical-mechanical polishing system has a first polishing apparatus configured to perform a first chemical-mechanical polish on a workpiece and a second polishing apparatus configured to perform a second chemical-mechanical polish on the workpiece. A rework polishing apparatus comprising a rework platen and a rework CMP head is configured to perform an auxiliary chemical-mechanical polish on the workpiece when the workpiece is positioned on the rework platen. A measurement apparatus measures one or more parameters of the workpiece, and a transport apparatus transports the workpiece between the first polishing apparatus, second polishing apparatus, rework polishing apparatus, and measurement apparatus. A controller determines a selective transport of the workpiece to the rework polishing apparatus by the transport apparatus only when the one or more parameters are unsatisfactory. | 08-07-2014 |