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Polishing apparatus

a technology of polishing apparatus and rotary blade, which is applied in the direction of grinding machine components, manufacturing tools, lapping machines, etc., can solve the problems of short circuit, large step height on the surface of semiconductor devices, and complicated structure of semiconductor elements

Inactive Publication Date: 2007-09-13
NABEYA OSAMU +1
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This solution ensures highly accurate polishing with reduced retainer ring wear, lower maintenance costs, and shorter downtime for dummy polishing processes, while maintaining polishing quality and reliability.

Problems solved by technology

In recent years, semiconductor devices have become more integrated, and structures of semiconductor elements have become more complicated.
Accordingly, irregularities on a surface of a semiconductor device are increased, so that step heights on the surface of the semiconductor device tend to be large.
When a number of irregularities is increased on a surface of a semiconductor device, the following problems arise.
Further, an open circuit may be caused by disconnection, or a short circuit may be caused by insufficient insulation between interconnection layers.
As a result, good products cannot be obtained, and a yield tends to be lowered.
Further, even if a semiconductor device initially works normally, reliability of the semiconductor device is lowered after a long-term use.
Therefore, if the irregularities on the surface of the semiconductor device are increased, then it becomes problematically difficult to form a fine pattern itself on the semiconductor device.
The polishing pad is so elastic that pressing forces applied to a peripheral edge portion of the semiconductor wafer tend to be non-uniform.
Accordingly, the semiconductor wafer may excessively be polished only at the peripheral edge portion to thus cause edge rounding.
For this reason, highly accurate polishing cannot be achieved.

Method used

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Examples

Experimental program
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Effect test

first embodiment

[0053]FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an entire arrangement of a polishing apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a polishing table 100 having a polishing pad 101 attached to an upper surface thereof is provided below a top ring 1. Further, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 102 is provided above the polishing table 100. A polishing liquid Q is supplied from the polishing liquid supply nozzle 102 to the polishing pad 101 on the polishing table 100.

[0054] Various kinds of polishing pads are available on the market. For example, some of these are SUBA800, IC-1000, and IC-1000 / SUBA400 (two-layer cloth) manufactured by Rodel Inc., and Surfin xxx-5 and Surfin 000 manufactured by Fujimi Inc. SUBA800, Surfin xxx-5, and Surfin 000 are non-woven fabrics bonded by urethane resin, and IC-1000 is made of hard rigid foam polyurethane (single layer). Foam polyurethane is porous and has a large number of fine recesses or holes formed in its surface.

[0055] The top ring ...

third embodiment

[0082]FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a top ring 301 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the top ring 301 has a housing 302 and a retainer ring 303 attached to a lower end of a peripheral edge portion of the housing 302. The housing 302 is made of a material having high strength and rigidity, such as metal or ceramic. The housing 302 has a housing body 302a in the form of a cylindrical receptacle and an annular pressurizing sheet support 302b fitted inside of a cylindrical portion of the housing body 302a. The retainer ring 303 is fixed to a lower end of the housing body 302a of the housing 302 by bolts 308.

[0083] A top ring shaft 311 is disposed above a central portion of the housing body 302a of the housing 302, and the housing 302 is coupled to the top ring shaft 311 by a universal joint 310. The universal joint 310 has a spherical bearing mechanism by which the housing 302 and the top ring shaft 311 are tiltable with respect to each other, a...

fourth embodiment

[0103]FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a top ring 510 according to the present invention. The top ring 510 holds a semiconductor wafer W as a workpiece to be polished, presses the semiconductor wafer W against a polishing surface on polishing pad 522, and brings the semiconductor wafer W into sliding contact with the polishing surface to conduct chemical mechanical polishing. Specifically, the top ring 510 has a retainer ring 512 provided on a lower surface of a housing 511 so that a peripheral edge portion of the semiconductor wafer W is held by an inner circumferential surface of the retainer ring 512. Further, a plate 515 is disposed within the housing 511 in a state such that the plate 515 is movable in a vertical direction via an elastic body ring 514. A pressing force to press the semiconductor wafer W against the polishing surface is adjusted by adjusting an air pressure of a pressure chamber 513, which is surrounded by the plate 515 and the housing 511. Acc...

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PUM

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Abstract

A polishing apparatus has a polishing surface, a top ring for holding a semiconductor wafer, and a top ring shaft for pressing the top ring against the polishing surface. The top ring has a retainer ring for holding a peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer, a housing substantially in a form of a disk which is connected to the top ring shaft, a sliding contact joint interconnecting the retainer ring and the housing in a state such that the retainer ring and the housing are brought into sliding contact with each other.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus, and more particularly to a polishing apparatus for polishing a workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer, by holding the workpiece and pressing the workpiece against a polishing surface. BACKGROUND ART [0002] In recent years, semiconductor devices have become more integrated, and structures of semiconductor elements have become more complicated. Further, a number of layers in multilayer interconnections used for a logical system has increased. Accordingly, irregularities on a surface of a semiconductor device are increased, so that step heights on the surface of the semiconductor device tend to be large. This is because, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a thin film is formed on a semiconductor device, then micromachining processes, such as patterning or forming holes, are performed on the semiconductor device, and these processes are repeated to form subsequent thin films on the semico...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B24B29/00B24B5/00B24B57/02B24B37/00B24B37/04B24B37/30B24B37/32B24B49/16B24B57/00H01L21/304
CPCB24B49/16B24B37/32
Inventor NABEYA, OSAMUTOGAWA, TETSUJI
Owner NABEYA OSAMU