Acoustic emission monitoring and endpoint for chemical mechanical polishing

Abstract

A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen to support a polishing pad, and an in-situ acoustic emission monitoring system including an acoustic emission sensor supported by the platen, a waveguide configured to extending through at least a portion of the polishing pad, and a processor to receive a signal from the acoustic emission sensor. The in-situ acoustic emission monitoring system is configured to detect acoustic events caused by deformation of the substrate and transmitted through the waveguide, and the processor is configured to determine a polishing endpoint based on the signal.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an invention patent application with an application date of February 5, 2016, an application number of "201680013942.0", and an invention title of "Acoustic Emission Monitoring and Endpoint for Chemical Mechanical Polishing". technical field [0002] The present disclosure relates to in-situ monitoring of chemical mechanical polishing. Background technique [0003] Integrated circuits are usually formed on a substrate by sequentially depositing conductive, semiconducting or insulating layers on a silicon wafer. One fabrication step involves depositing a filler layer on a non-planar surface and planarizing the filler layer. For certain applications, the filler layer is planarized until the top surface of the patterned layer is exposed. For example, a conductive filler layer can be deposited on a patterned insulating layer to fill trenches or holes in the insulating layer. After planarization, the portions of the metal l...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, existing monitoring technologies may not be able to meet the increasing demands of semiconductor device manufacturers

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