1652results about "Abrasive surface conditioning devices" patented technology

The present invention discloses a CMP pad dresser which has a plurality of uniformly spaced abrasive particles protruding therefrom. The abrasive particles are super hard materials, and are typically diamond, polycrystalline diamond (PCD), cubic boron nitride (cBN), or polycrystalline cubic boron nitride(PcBN). The abrasive particles are brazed to a substrate which may be then coated with an additional anti-corrosive layer. The anti-corrosive layer is usually a diamond or diamond-like carbon which is coated over the surface of the disk to prevent erosion of the brazing alloy by the chemical slurry used in conjunction with the CMP pad. This immunity to chemical attack allows the CMP pad dresser to dress the pad while it is polishing a workpiece. In addition to even spacing on the substrate, the abrasive particles extend for a uniform distance away from the substrate, allowing for even grooming or dressing of a CMP pad both in vertical and horizontal directions. A method of producing such a CMP pad dresser is also disclosed.

The disclosure relates to abrasive articles useful in chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), the articles including a substrate with opposite major surfaces, an abrasive material overlaying at least a portion of at least one of the major surfaces, a means for providing CMP information positioned near the substrate, and a transmitter positioned near the substrate and adapted to transmit the CMP information to a remote receiver. The disclosure also relates to a CMP pad conditioner having a means for communicating CMP information, a CMP process monitoring system, and a method for conditioning a CMP pad.

Superabrasive tools and methods for the making thereof are disclosed and described. In one aspect, superabrasive particles are chemically bonded to a matrix support material according to a predetermined pattern by a braze alloy. The brazing alloy may be provided as a powder, thin sheet, or sheet of amorphous alloy. A template having a plurality of apertures arranged in a predetermined pattern may be used to place the superabrasive particles on a given substrate or matrix support material.

The invention relates to a method, system and computer program useful for producing a product, such as a microelectronic device, for example in an assembly line, where the production facility includes parallel production of assembly lines of products on identically configured chambers, tools and/or modules. Control is provided between such chambers. Behaviors of a batch of wafers (or of each wafer) are collected as the first batch (or each wafer) is processed by one of the identically configured chambers in one assembly line to produce the microelectronic device. The information relating to the behavior is shared with a controller of another one (or more) of the identically configured chambers, process tools and/or modules, to provide an adjustment of the process tool and thereby to produce a second batch (or next wafer) which is substantially identical, within tolerance, to the first batch (or wafer).

Embodiments of a ball assembly are provided. In one embodiment, a ball assembly includes a housing, a ball, a conductive adapter and a contact element. The housing has an annular seat extending into a first end of an interior passage. The conductive adapter is coupled to a second end of the housing. The contact element electrically couples the adapter and the ball with is retained in the housing between seat and the adapter.

An improved method of in-situ conditioning of a polishing pad for use with a stationary pad conditioner during chemical mechanical polishing is described. A polishing table having a polishing pad on its surface is rotated in a first direction during polishing of a semiconductor wafer. A polishing pad conditioner is adjustably attached to the rotating polishing table such that the conditioner is stationary in relation to the rotating polishing table. The conditioner has a roughened surface which is in contact with the polishing pad providing in-situ conditioning during polishing of a semiconductor wafer. After polishing of the semiconductor wafer, the polishing table is rotated in a second direction while the conditioner is still in contact with polishing pad. Rotating the polishing pad in a second direction dislodges the polishing debris clogging the roughened surface of the conditioner and redistributes CMP slurry. The roughened surface of the pad conditioner is refreshed allowing more effective conditioning of the polishing pad. Pad life is prolonged, polishing is stabilized, and the polish cycle time is reduced.

Tools for conditioning chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pads comprise a substrate with abrasive particles coupled to at least one surface. The tools can have various particle and bond configurations. For instance, abrasive particles may be bonded (e.g., brazed or other metal bond technique) to one side, or to front and back sides. Alternatively, abrasive particles are bonded to a front side, and filler particles coupled to a back side. The abrasive particles can form a pattern (e.g., hexagonal) and have particle sizes that are sufficiently small to penetrate pores of a CMP pad during conditioning, leading to fewer defects on wafers polished with the conditioned CMP pad. Grain bonding can be accomplished using brazing films, although other metal bonds may be used as well. Also, balanced bond material (e.g., braze on both sides) allows for low out-of-flatness value.

In the electrodeposited abrasive wheel 20 of the abrasive tool according to the present invention, plural mound parts 21, which are upheaved at the central domain of base metal 19 in almost columnar shape, are arranged mostly in the shape of lattice. An abrasive grain layer 22 is formed on a base metal 19, and plural ultra abrasive grains 14 are adhered only to each mound parts 21 by electrodeposited metal phase 25, and referred as the small abrasive-grain-layer parts 24, respectively. Ultra abrasive grains are laid out at corner R part 21a and top 21b of the mound parts 21 at the small abrasive-grain-layer parts 24. Ultra abrasive grains at each small abrasive-grain-layer parts are set as 11-500 pieces, and the rate which ultra abrasive grains occupy to the whole area of abrasive grain layer accounted by plane projection is set as 20%-80% of the range. At the time of grinding, only ultra abrasive grains contact to grinding work piece, then high abutment pressure is maintained, and sharpness and the discharge performance of ground wastes are good.

Laser sources output laser lights L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 having different wavelengths so as to increase an accuracy of an endpoint detection of polishing processing by enabling an accurate detection of a film thickness of a layer insulating film on a surface of a wafer to be polished by the CMP processing, the lights are emitted from a detection window via a beam splitter to the layer insulating film formed on the surface of the wafer to be polished by a pad, different optical detectors detect interference lights corresponding to the laser lights L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 reflected and generated from a surface of the layer insulating film and a pattern under the surface via the detection window, the beam splitter, and a dichroic mirror, the detection results are supplied to a film thickness evaluation unit 7, a film thickness of the layer insulation film is detected on the basis of a relationship between intensities of the reflected interference lights to the laser lights L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 or the intensity ratio, and an endpoint of polishing processing is determined when the film thickness is equal to a predetermined value.

An apparatus for simultaneously polishing wafers including at least a first and a second web of polishing media. At least two polishing heads are provided on a carrier coupled to a drive system such that one polishing head positions a wafer against the first web and a second polishing head positions a second wafer against the second web. The drive system imparts a programmed polishing motion or pattern to the polishing heads.

A method of making and the resulting non-metallic CMP conditioning pad comprising a non-metallic substrate and a single layer of abrasive particles bonded to the substrate by a non-metallic bonding medium. Preferred substrates include aluminum oxide and graphite. A bonding system employing finely powdered aluminum oxide particles mixed with a suitable adhesive is employed to bond the abrasive layer to the aluminum oxide substrate. Silicon carbide particles mixed into a compatible adhesive carrier including a polymer composition is preferred for bonding the abrasive particle layer to a graphite or carbide substrate.

An abrasive tool including a CMP pad conditioner having a substrate including a first major surface, a second major surface opposite the first major surface, and a side surface extending between the first major surface and the second major, wherein a first layer of abrasive grains is attached to the first major surface and a second layer of abrasive grains is attached to the second major surface. The conditioner further includes a first sealing member extending in a peripheral direction along a portion of the side surface of the substrate.

A conditioning tool for restoring a used CMP polishing pad to an operable condition. The tool includes a base that attaches to a driven machine and has a surface from which a shoulder protrudes that receives a peripheral edge of a disk. The disk has two opposing surfaces, each of which is substantially planar and has abrasive mounted thereon. The disk's peripheral edge is held in place between the base shoulder and a ring that has a shoulder that is complementary to the disk's peripheral edge. The ring is fastened to the base with the abrasive of the first disk surface protruding through an aperture in the ring, and the opposing disk surface spaced from the base's surface. After the disk's first surface is worn, the disk can be turned around to expose the opposite surface's abrasive to a CMP pad.

Superabrasive tools and their methods of manufacture are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of improving retention of superabrasive particles held in a solidified organic material layer of an abrading tool, a portion of each of said superabrasive particles protruding out of the solidified organic material layer is provided. The method may include securing a plurality of superabrasive particles in the solidified organic material layer in an arrangement that minimizes mechanical stress impinging on the protruding portion of any individual superabrasive particle when used to abrade a work piece. As an example, the arrangement of the plurality of superabrasive particles may be configured to uniformly distribute frictional forces across substantially each superabrasive particle.

A CMP conditioner is provided in which diamond grit that is adhered to a conditioning surface so as to face and be in contact with a polishing pad of a CMP apparatus is adhered such that 111 surfaces of crystal surfaces of the diamond grit are substantially parallel with the conditioning surface and face in a direction faced by the conditioning surface.

A method, apparatus and medium of conditioning a planarizing surface includes installing a wafer to be polished in a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus having a polishing pad and a conditioning disk, polishing the wafer under a first set of pad conditioning parameters selected to maintain wafer material removal rates with preselected minimum and maximum removal rates, determining a wafer material removal rate occurring during the polishing step, calculating updated pad conditioning parameters to maintain wafer material removal rates within the maximum and minimum removal rates, and conditioning the polishing pad using the updated pad conditioning parameters, wherein the updated pad conditioning parameters are calculated by a pad wear and conditioning model that predicts the wafer material removal rate of the polishing pad based upon the rotational speed and direction of the conditioning disk.

This invention describes improved polishing pads useful in the manufacture of semiconductor devices or the like. The pads of the present invention have an advantageous hydrophilic polishing material and are sufficiently thin to generally improve predictability and polishing performance.

The present invention provides a conditioner for CMP pad required for global planarization of wafer to achieve high integration of a semiconductor element. The conditioner for CMP pad includes a metal substrate having abrasive particles fixed thereto, a plurality of abrasive particles fixed to the metal substrate, and a layer of metal binder fixing the abrasive particles to the metal substrate. The abrasive particles include at least one pattern. The pattern includes at least one row of abrasive particles and the abrasive particles include bigger abrasive particles and smaller abrasive particles. In addition, a diameter difference between smaller and bigger abrasive particles is 10 to 40%. The present invention ensures uniform dressing of conditioner, superior dressing efficiency and superior performance reproducibility.

A method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad used in a substrate polishing process. In one embodiment, a method for conditioning a polishing pad utilized to polish a substrate is provided. The method includes providing relative motion between an optical device and a polishing pad having a polishing medium disposed thereon, and scanning a processing surface of the polishing pad with a laser beam to condition the processing surface, wherein the laser beam has a wavelength that is substantially transparent to the polishing medium, but is reactive with the material of the polishing pad.

A saw apparatus for cutting a work piece includes a circular saw blade, a saw blade drive mechanism including a motor drivably connected to the saw blade and having a motor pulley, and including a blade mounting structure, a saw table including a housing with a housing side wall, and a housing top wall having a blade passing opening and being hingedly secured to and resting on the housing side wall, a housing partition defining a drive mechanism chamber and a blade mounting chamber within the housing having a drive mechanism chamber bottom wall sealingly joined to the housing side wall, and a cooling liquid contained within the blade mounting chamber, so that the blade mounting mechanism includes a blade axle extending through the housing partition between the blade mounting chamber and the drive mechanism chamber, and the blade protrudes up through the blade passing opening and down into the cooling liquid, and a blade axle pulley is secured to the blade axle, passes through the housing partition, and a belt extends from the blade axle pulley to the motor pulley.

A polishing apparatus and method capable of polishing stably irrelevant of disorder such as the change of a polishing object, change of a polishing device with lapse of time. A polishing apparatus includes polishing pad 1, polishing table 3 with the polishing pad adhered thereto, table motor 8 for driving the polishing table 3, conditioning device 5 of the polishing pad 1 and conditioning control system 12 for setting conditioning conditions. According to a polishing method of the present invention, conditioning conditions of the polishing pad 1 are set on based on a frictional force exerted between the polishing pad 1 and a substrate or on torque current 10.

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.

A polishing apparatus polishes a surface of a substrate by pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on a polishing table. The polishing apparatus is configured to control a temperature of the polishing surface of the polishing pad by blowing a gas on the polishing pad during polishing. The polishing apparatus includes a pad temperature control mechanism having at least one gas ejection nozzle for ejecting a gas toward the polishing pad and configured to blow the gas onto the polishing pad to control a temperature of the polishing pad, and an atomizer having at least one nozzle for ejecting a liquid or a mixed fluid of a gas and a liquid and configured to blow the liquid or the mixed fluid onto the polishing pad to remove foreign matters on the polishing pad. The pad temperature control mechanism and the atomizer are formed into an integral unit.

Semiconductor wafers are processed in a fab in a manner that integrates control at multiple functional unit levels. Examples of functional units include fabs, modules, tools, and the like. Initially, a number of functional unit property targets are received at a functional unit. The functional unit property targets are utilized to generate a number of tool targets for any number of tool level functional units. From there, the tool targets are forwarded to the corresponding tool level functional units. At these tool level functional units, a number of tool recipes, each of which define a number of process setpoints, may be generated by processing the tool targets. The process setpoints define a number of parameters which must be satisfied in order to attain the corresponding tool targets. In addition, in at least some embodiments, the tool targets and tool recipes are determined utilizing feedback information including functional unit states and measurements of controlled parameters.

A radius-forming dressing roll (32) having a frustoconical working region (48) and an adjoining concave-toroidal working region (49) is mounted on the dressing spindle (30) coaxially to a dressing disc (31). In a first step, the flanks (42, 43) of the grinding-worm thread are profiled with the disc (31). After the dressing spindle (30) has been pivoted, the two tip radii (46, 47) and the cylindrical outer circumference (45) are profiled with the dressing roll (32). With little resetting effort and high flexibility, the method permits profiling with short dressing times.

CMP pad dressers with superabrasive particles oriented into an attitude that controls CMP pad performance, and methods associated therewith are disclosed and described. The controlled CMP pad performance may be selected to optimize CMP pad dressing rate and dresser wear.

Embodiments of a polishing article for processing a substrate are provided. In one embodiment, a polishing article for processing a substrate comprises a fabric layer having a conductive layer disposed thereover. The conductive layer has an exposed surface adapted to polish a substrate. The fabric layer may be woven or non-woven. The conductive layer may be comprised of a soft metal and, in one embodiment, the exposed surface may be planar.

In a process for the profiling of a grinding worm (1) with at least two grinding width zones (4, 6) with differently modified thread profile for the grinding of spur and helical gears with three-dimensionally modified flank profile, the grinding width zones (4, 6) are arranged overlapping in order to gain optimum exploitation of the grinding worm width (3). In one variant, profiling of the grinding worm (1) is performed with an abrasive coated profiling gear (25) with a tooth flank geometry and facewidth differing from that of the workpiece to be ground. By suitable selection of the diagonal ratio and the allocation of the width zones (28, 29) of the profiling gear (25) to the grinding width zones (4, 6) of the grinding worm (1), it is possible to adapt the modifications of the grinding worm flanks to the requirements of the workpiece without having to alter the flank geometry of the profiling gear (25). In another variant the grinding worm (1) is profiled in a first stage across its entire width (3) with the desired profile form of the roughing zone, and in a second stage the finish grinding zone (36, 37) and the adjacent transition zones (34, 35) of the right and left flanks of the grinding worm (1) are finish profiled by means of NC controlled line by line profiling with a form dressing roll (40).

A vitrified bond tool including: (a) a support body; (b) a vitrified bond layer which is formed on a working surface of the support body; and (c) a plurality of abrasive grains which are held by the vitrified bond layer so as to be fixed relative to the working surface of the support body and which are spaced apart from each other with spacing between the adjacent ones of the abrasive grains. This vitrified bond tool is advantageously manufactured according to a method including the steps of (i) forming a pattern layer which includes a vitrified bond, in a predetermined pattern on the working surface of the support body; (ii) sprinkling the abrasive grains over the pattern layer before the pattern layer is dried; and (iii) firing the pattern layer and the abrasive grains which are bonded to the pattern layer and are arranged in the predetermined pattern on the working surface of the support body.

An L-shaped slide plate mounted with a workpiece holding device on a slide guide is firmly attached to an angle adjustment mechanism, and a reciprocating motion drive unit mounted with the angle adjustment mechanism on a slider table is firmly attached to a bridge so that an angle between a surface of a workpiece to be lapped and a surface of a lapping plate is kept substantially constant, and also the bridge is disposed so as to stride the lapping plate. Thereby, in a state of row bar in which a plurality of magnetic head sliders run in a line, an air bearing surface of magnetic head can be lapped with high accuracy with an element recession being decreased and an occurrence of a scratch being restrained.