Chemical mechanical polishing conditioner having different heights

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chemical mechanical polishing conditioner having different heights, comprising: a substrate; a binding layer disposed on the substrate; and multiple abrasive units placed on the binding layer. Each abrasive unit has an abrasive unit substrate and an abrasive layer which is a diamond film formed by chemical vapor deposition and has multiple abrasive tips. The abrasive units have a first tip height and a second tip height. The first tip height is different from the second tip height. The chemical mechanical polishing conditioner can adjust the surface roughness of the pad to be polished and improve the drainage of abrasive slurry.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to a chemical mechanical polishing conditioner having different heights, especially to a combinational chemical mechanical polishing conditioner having different heights.[0003]2. Description of the Prior Art(s)[0004]Chemical Mechanical Polishing (abbreviated as CMP) is commonly used in various industries to polish the surfaces of various articles made of ceramic, silicon, glass, quartz, or metal. With the applicability of large-scaled planarization of integrated semiconductor device, CMP becomes a common planarization technique in the semiconductor process.[0005]During the CMP process of the semiconductor, a pad is contacted with a wafer or other semiconductor elements in conjunction with suitable abrasive slurry to remove impurities or protruding structures on the surface of the wafer through both chemical reaction and mechanical force. When the pad has been used for a period of time, poli...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The main objective of the present invention is providing a CMP conditioner having different heights by combining small abrasive units with a large substrate to provide a surface with improved polishing uniformity and different heights of the abrasive units, which can prevent thermal deformation of the substrate and can produce different piercing depths while dressing a pad to form deep trenches and shallow trenches, which can adjust the surface roughness of the surface of the pad and improve the drainage of abrasive slurry, on the surface of the pad.

[0019]Preferably, a middle layer is disposed between the abrasive layer and the abrasive unit substrate to improve the binding strength between the abrasive layer and the abrasive unit substrate. The middle layer is made of the group consisting of aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and aluminum nitride. More preferably, the middle layer is made of silicon carbide.

[0026]With the non-uniform configuration in height, the CMP conditioner having different heights of the present invention has the effect of adjusting the surface roughness of the pad and improving the drainage of abrasive slurry. In summary, the CMP conditioner having different heights has the abrasive units assembled onto the substrate prevents both the thermal deformation of the substrate and polishing non-uniformity, thus renders the pad a uniform surface after polishing.

Problems solved by technology

When the pad has been used for a period of time, polishing debris produced from the CMP process will accumulate and stagnate on the surface of the pad, thereby reducing the polishing effect and efficiency.

Said CMP conditioner is suitable for dressing the pads; however, in more sophisticated semiconductor process with line-width below 45 nanometers, the rough surface of the pad that is too coarse will cause problems such as scratch, local over-polishing, depression, or non-uniform thickness of the wafer.

However, the protrusions and the substrate are integrally formed, failing to form a totally planarized surface to improve the abrasion efficiency and prolong lifetime of the CMP conditioner.

However, when the pad conditioner is applied to a pad, the pad conditioner cannot control an abrasion depth of the pad.

Furthermore, the abrasive ability of a conventional CMP conditioner is limited by the crystal structure of the abrasive particles.

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