Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080287043 | Polishing apparatus - A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. The polishing apparatus includes a polishing table having a polishing surface, a top ring configured to hold and press the substrate against the polishing surface, a top ring shaft configured to lift and lower the top ring, and an elongation detecting device configured to detect an elongation of the top ring shaft. The polishing apparatus further includes a controller configured to set a vertical position of the top ring at the time of polishing, and control a lifting and lowering mechanism to lower the top ring to a preset polishing position as the set vertical position. The controller corrects the preset polishing position based on the elongation of the top ring shaft which has been detected by the elongation detecting device. | 11-20-2008 |
20080318492 | Substrate holding apparatus, polishing apparatus, and polishing method - A substrate holding apparatus prevents a substrate from slipping out and allows the substrate to be polished stably. The substrate holding apparatus has a top ring body for holding and pressing a substrate against a polishing surface, and a retainer ring for pressing the polishing surface, the retainer ring being disposed on an outer circumferential portion of the top ring body. The retainer ring includes a first member made of a magnetic material and a second member having a magnet disposed on a surface thereof which is held in abutment against the first member. | 12-25-2008 |
20080318499 | Substrate holding apparatus, polishing apparatus, and polishing method - A substrate holding apparatus prevents a substrate from slipping out and allows the substrate to be polished stably. The substrate holding apparatus has a top ring body for holding and pressing a substrate against a polishing surface, and a retainer ring for pressing the polishing surface, the retainer ring being disposed on an outer circumferential portion of the top ring body. The retainer ring includes a first member made of a magnetic material and a second member having a magnet disposed on a surface thereof which is held in abutment against the first member. | 12-25-2008 |
20090111362 | Polishing Apparatus - A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. The polishing apparatus includes a polishing table having a polishing surface, a top ring body configured to hold and press a substrate against the polishing surface, a retainer ring provided at an outer peripheral portion of the top ring body and configured to press the polishing surface, and a retainer ring guide fixed to the top ring body and configured to be brought into sliding contact with a ring member of the retainer ring to guide a movement of said ring member. Either one of sliding contact surfaces of the ring member and the retainer ring guide which are brought into sliding contact with each other comprises a low friction material. | 04-30-2009 |
20090137190 | Method and apparatus for dressing polishing pad, profile measuring method, substrate polishing apparatus, and substrate polishing method - The present invention provides a dressing method of dressing a polishing pad used in a polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate. This method includes repetitively moving the dresser on an upper surface of the polishing pad in a radial direction of the polishing pad so as to perform a dressing process on the polishing pad, during the dressing process, measuring a height of an upper surface of the polishing pad at a predetermined point in one of plural zones on the polishing surface, and repeating the repetitive moving of the dresser and the measuring of the height of the upper surface of the polishing pad so as to measure the height of the upper surface of the polishing pad in all of the plural zones. | 05-28-2009 |
20090142996 | Polishing apparatus and method - A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. The polishing apparatus includes a polishing table having a polishing surface, a polishing head having at least one elastic membrane configured to form a plurality of pressure chambers for being supplied with a pressurized fluid, and a controller configured to control supply of the pressurized fluid to the pressure chambers. The controller controls supply of the pressurized fluid so that the pressurized fluid is supplied first to the pressure chamber located at a central portion of the substrate when the substrate is brought into contact with the polishing surface, and then the pressurized fluid is supplied to the pressure chamber located at a radially outer side of the pressure chamber located at the central portion of the substrate. | 06-04-2009 |
20090191791 | Polishing method and polishing apparatus - A polishing method can safely detach and lift up a workpiece from a polishing surface without carrying out the operation of making the workpiece overhang the polishing surface. The polishing method includes carrying out processing of a surface to be polished of a workpiece by supplying a liquid to a polishing surface while pressing the surface to be polished of the workpiece held by a holding device against the polishing surface and moving the workpiece and the polishing surface relative to each other, attracting the workpiece after the processing to the holding device while supplying the liquid to the polishing surface at a decreased flow rate, thereby detaching the workpiece from the polishing surface, and lifting up the holding device together with the workpiece on confirmation of detachment of the workpiece from the polishing surface and attachment of the workpiece to the holding device. | 07-30-2009 |
20090191797 | Polishing apparatus - A polishing apparatus ( | 07-30-2009 |
20090233532 | Substrate holding apparatus and polishing apparatus - A substrate holding apparatus is for holding a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer in a polishing apparatus for polishing the substrate to a flat finish. The substrate holding apparatus comprises a vertically movable member, and an elastic member for defining a chamber. The elastic member comprises a contact portion which is brought into contact with the substrate, and a circumferential wall extending upwardly from the contact portion and connected to the vertically movable member. The circumferential wall has a stretchable and contractible portion which is stretchable and contractible vertically. | 09-17-2009 |
20100056028 | SUBSTRATE HOLDING APPARATUS AND POLISHING APPARATUS - The present invention relates to a substrate holding apparatus for holding a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer in a polishing apparatus for polishing the substrate to a flat finish. The substrate holding apparatus according to the present invention comprises a top ring body having a receiving space therein, and a vertically movable member which is vertically movable within the receiving space in the top ring body. An abutment member having an elastic membrane is attached to a lower surface of the vertically movable member. The elastic membrane of the abutment member comprises an abutment portion, having a flange projecting outwardly, brought into direct or indirect contact with the substrate, and a connecting portion extending upwardly from a base portion of the flange of the abutment portion and being connected to the vertically movable member. The connecting portion is made of a material having a flexibility higher than that of material of the abutment portion. | 03-04-2010 |
20100112901 | SUBSTRATE POLISHING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE POLISHING METHOD - The present invention relates to a substrate polishing apparatus and a substrate polishing method for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat finish. The substrate polishing apparatus includes a polishing table ( | 05-06-2010 |
20100273405 | POLISHING APPARATUS - A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. The polishing apparatus includes a polishing table ( | 10-28-2010 |
20110159783 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POLISHING A SUBSTRATE - A polishing method is used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. A method of polishing a substrate by a polishing apparatus includes a polishing table ( | 06-30-2011 |
20110207294 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device makes it possible to efficiently polish with a polishing tape a peripheral portion of a silicon substrate under polishing conditions particularly suited for a deposited film and for silicon underlying the deposited film. The method includes: pressing a first polishing tape against a peripheral portion of a device substrate having a deposited film on a silicon surface while rotating the device substrate at a first rotational speed, thereby removing the deposited film lying in the peripheral portion of the device substrate and exposing the underlying silicon; and pressing a second polishing tape against the exposed silicon lying in the peripheral portion of the device substrate while rotating the device substrate at a second rotational speed, thereby polishing the silicon to a predetermined depth. | 08-25-2011 |
20110217906 | POLISHING APPARATUS AND POLISHING METHOD - A polishing apparatus can effectively prevent abrasive particles from falling off a polishing tape during polishing. The polishing apparatus includes: a polishing head for polishing a peripheral portion of a substrate by pressing a surface of a polishing tape, having abrasive particles fixed on the surface, against the peripheral portion of the substrate while allowing the polishing tape to travel in one direction; and a conditioning apparatus, disposed upstream of the polishing head in the traveling direction of the polishing tape, for conditioning the surface of the polishing tape in advance in order to prevent the abrasive particles from falling off the surface of the polishing tape during polishing. | 09-08-2011 |
20120071065 | POLISHING APPARATUS - A polishing apparatus has a polishing pad, a top ring for holding a semiconductor wafer, and a vertical movement mechanism operable to move the top ring in a vertical direction. The polishing apparatus also has a distance measuring sensor operable to detect a position of the top ring when a lower surface of the top ring is brought into contact with the polishing pad, and a controller operable to calculate an optimal position of the top ring to polish the semiconductor wafer based on the position detected by the distance measuring sensor. The vertical movement mechanism includes a ball screw mechanism operable to move the top ring to the optimal position. | 03-22-2012 |
20120244787 | POLISHING APPARATUS AND POLISHING METHOD - The polishing apparatus has a polishing unit capable of polishing a peripheral portion of the substrate to form a right-angled cross section. The polishing apparatus includes: a substrate holder that holds and rotates the substrate; guide rollers that support a polishing tape; and a polishing head having a pressing member that presses an edge of the polishing tape against the peripheral portion of the substrate from above. The guide rollers are arranged such that the polishing tape extends parallel to a tangential direction of the substrate and a polishing surface of the polishing tape is parallel to a surface of the substrate. The substrate holder includes: a holding stage that holds the substrate; and a supporting stage that supports a lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate in its entirety. The supporting stage rotates in unison with the holding stage. | 09-27-2012 |
20120252320 | POLISHING APPARATUS AND POLISHING METHOD - The polishing apparatus has a polishing unit capable of forming a right-angled cross section by polishing a peripheral portion of the substrate. The polishing unit includes a polishing head having a pressing member configured to press a polishing tape against the peripheral portion of the substrate from above, a tape supply and recovery mechanism configured to supply the polishing tape to the polishing head and to recover the polishing tape from the polishing head, a first moving mechanism configured to move the polishing head in a radial direction of the substrate, and a second moving mechanism configured to move the tape supply and recovery mechanism in the radial direction of the substrate. The guide rollers are arranged such that the polishing tape extends parallel to a tangential direction of the substrate and a polishing surface of the polishing tape is parallel to a surface of the substrate. | 10-04-2012 |
20120309277 | SUBSTRATE HOLDING APPARATUS, POLISHING APPARATUS, AND POLISHING METHOD - A substrate holding apparatus prevents a substrate from slipping out and allows the substrate to be polished stably. The substrate holding apparatus has a top ring body for holding and pressing a substrate against a polishing surface, and a retainer ring for pressing the polishing surface, the retainer ring being disposed on an outer circumferential portion of the top ring body. The retainer ring includes a first member made of a magnetic material and a second member having a magnet disposed on a surface thereof which is held in abutment against the first member. | 12-06-2012 |
20130237033 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device makes it possible to efficiently polish with a polishing tape a peripheral portion of a silicon substrate under polishing conditions particularly suited for a deposited film and for silicon underlying the deposited film. The method includes pressing a first polishing tape against a peripheral portion of a device substrate having a deposited film on a silicon surface while rotating the device substrate at a first rotational speed, thereby removing the deposited film lying in the peripheral portion of the device substrate and exposing the underlying silicon. A second polishing tape is pressed against the exposed silicon lying in the peripheral portion of the device substrate while rotating the device substrate at a second rotational speed, thereby polishing the silicon to a predetermined depth. | 09-12-2013 |
20140087627 | METHOD OF DETECTING ABNORMALITY IN POLISHING OF A SUBSTRATE AND POLISHING APPARATUS - A method of detecting an abnormality in polishing of a substrate is provided. The method includes: rotating the substrate; pressing a polishing tool against an edge portion of the substrate to polish the edge portion; measuring a position of the polishing tool relative to a surface of the substrate; determining an amount of polishing of the substrate from the position of the polishing tool; calculating a polishing rate from the amount of polishing of the substrate; and judging that an abnormality in polishing of the edge portion of the substrate has occurred if the polishing rate is out of a predetermined range. | 03-27-2014 |
20140094095 | POLISHING METHOD - A polishing method includes rotating a substrate, performing a first polishing process of pressing a polishing tape against an edge portion of the substrate by a pressing member, with a portion of the polishing tape projecting from the pressing member inwardly in a radial direction of the substrate, to polish the edge portion of the substrate and bend the portion of the polishing tape along the pressing member, and performing a second polishing process of pressing the bent portion of the polishing tape inwardly in the radial direction of the substrate by the pressing member to further polish the edge portion of the substrate. | 04-03-2014 |
20140213154 | POLISHING APPARATUS AND POLISHING METHOD - A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. The polishing apparatus includes a substrate holder to hold a substrate and to rotate the substrate, a pressing member configured to press a polishing tool against the substrate and to polish the substrate, a pressing force control mechanism configured to control a pressing force of the pressing member, and a polishing position limiting mechanism configured to limit a polishing position of the pressing member. A polishing tape or a fixed abrasive is used as the polishing tool. | 07-31-2014 |
20140213155 | WAFER POLISHING APPARATUS AND METHOD - An apparatus and method of polishing a substrate is described. The polishing includes: rotating a substrate; pressing a first polishing tool against an edge portion of the substrate to polish the edge portion; and pressing a second polishing tool against the edge portion of the substrate to polish the edge portion. The second polishing tool is located more inwardly than the first polishing tool with respect to a radial direction of the substrate. The first polishing tool has a polishing surface rougher than a polishing surface of the second polishing tool. | 07-31-2014 |
20140220866 | METHOD OF POLISHING BACK SURFACE OF SUBSTRATE AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS - A polishing method which can remove foreign matters from an entire back surface of a substrate at a high removal rate is provided. The polishing method includes placing a polishing tool in sliding contact with an outer circumferential region of a back surface of a substrate while holding a center-side region of the back surface of the substrate, and placing a polishing tool in sliding contact with the center-side region of the back surface of the substrate while holding a bevel portion of the substrate to polish the back surface in its entirety. | 08-07-2014 |
20140302754 | POLISHING APPARATUS - A polishing apparatus has a polishing pad, a top ring for holding a semiconductor wafer, and a vertical movement mechanism operable to move the top ring in a vertical direction. The polishing apparatus also has a distance measuring sensor operable to detect a position of the top ring when a lower surface of the top ring is brought into contact with the polishing pad, and a controller operable to calculate an optimal position of the top ring to polish the semiconductor wafer based on the position detected by the distance measuring sensor. The vertical movement mechanism includes a ball screw mechanism operable to move the top ring to the optimal position. | 10-09-2014 |
20140329446 | POLISHING APPARATUS - A polishing apparatus has a polishing pad, a top ring for holding a semiconductor wafer, and a vertical movement mechanism operable to move the top ring in a vertical direction. The polishing apparatus also has a distance measuring sensor operable to detect a position of the top ring when a lower surface of the top ring is brought into contact with the polishing pad, and a controller operable to calculate an optimal position of the top ring to polish the semiconductor wafer based on the position detected by the distance measuring sensor. The vertical movement mechanism includes a ball screw mechanism operable to move the top ring to the optimal position. | 11-06-2014 |
20140357164 | POLISHING APPARATUS - A polishing apparatus has a polishing pad, a top ring for holding a semiconductor wafer, and a vertical movement mechanism operable to move the top ring in a vertical direction. The polishing apparatus also has a distance measuring sensor operable to detect a position of the top ring when a lower surface of the top ring is brought into contact with the polishing pad, and a controller operable to calculate an optimal position of the top ring to polish the semiconductor wafer based on the position detected by the distance measuring sensor. The vertical movement mechanism includes a ball screw mechanism operable to move the top ring to the optimal position. | 12-04-2014 |