Gas amplifier for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) cooling

Abstract

The chemical mechanical polishing chamber may include a platen disposed within the chemical mechanical polishing chamber, the platen configured to support a polishing pad. The chamber may also include a slurry transfer arm configured to transfer slurry to a polishing pad during a chemical mechanical polishing process. The chamber may include an arm that may include one or more brackets, the arm mechanically attached to an inside of the chemical mechanical polishing chamber and positioned above a platen. The chamber may include a plurality of nozzles configured to deliver a gas to a polishing pad, the plurality of nozzles mechanically attached to one or more brackets of the arm, each of the plurality of nozzles oriented such that an air gap is disposed between adjacent nozzles of the plurality of nozzles, the air can be extracted from the air gap and pushed to the polishing pad along with the air.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 579,121, filed August 28, 2023, entitled “GAS AMPLIFIER FOR CMP COOLING,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This technology relates to semiconductor systems, processes, and equipment. More specifically, this technology relates to the polishing of thin films deposited on a substrate. Background Technology

[0004] Integrated circuits are typically formed on a substrate by sequentially depositing conductive layers, semiconducting layers, and / or insulating layers on a silicon wafer. Various manufacturing processes utilize planarization of layers on the substrate between processing steps. For example, for some applications, such as polishing metal layers to form vias, plugs, and / or wiring in trenches of patterned layers, the overlay is planarized until the top surface of the patterned layer is exposed. In other applications, such as planarization of dielectric layers for photolithography, the overlay is polished until the desired thickness is maintained above the underlying layer.

[0005] Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a common planarization method. This planarization method typically requires mounting a substrate on a carrier or polishing head. The exposed surface of the substrate is usually placed against a rotating polishing pad. The carrier head provides a controlled load on the substrate to push it against the polishing pad. An abrasive polishing slurry is typically supplied to the surface of the polishing pad.

[0006] During polishing operations, it is desirable to cool the substrate and / or polishing pad to reduce the thermal impact on the substrate. To cool the substrate, a cooling system conventionally utilizes nozzles to deliver gas to the substrate. The nozzles may be located within a sealed arm. Gas can be supplied to the nozzles via a manifold or other suitable structure. However, because the nozzles may be located within a sealed arm, the cooling system may not perform optimally for some applications (i.e., the substrate may not cool sufficiently or quickly enough).

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods for enhancing cooling in chemical mechanical polishing systems. This technology addresses these and other needs. Summary of the Invention

[0008] A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) chamber (“chamber”) may include a pressure plate disposed within the CMP chamber, the pressure plate being configured to support a polishing pad. The chamber may also include a slurry delivery arm configured to deliver slurry to the polishing pad during a CMP process. The chamber may include an arm, which may include one or more supports, mechanically attached to the inside of the CMP chamber and positioned above the pressure plate. The chamber may include a plurality of nozzles configured to deliver gas to the polishing pad, the nozzles being mechanically attached to one or more supports of the arm, each of the nozzles being oriented such that an air gap is disposed between adjacent nozzles, allowing air to be drawn from the air gap and pushed towards the polishing pad along with the gas.

[0009] In some embodiments, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) chamber may include a manifold disposed above a plurality of nozzles, the manifold being configured to supply air to the plurality of nozzles. The gas may include nitrogen. The CMP chamber may include a manifold fluidly connected to each of the plurality of nozzles, the manifold being configured to deliver pressurized gas. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of nozzles may include a chamfer configured to direct gas into the respective nozzle to increase the volume of gas delivered to the polishing pad via the respective nozzle.

[0010] A gas amplification nozzle for a chemical mechanical polishing chamber may include a main chamber. The gas amplification nozzle may also include a first opening at the top of the nozzle, configured to allow air to enter the main chamber. The gas amplification nozzle may include a chamfer attached to the top of the nozzle, the chamfer being configured to guide air into the main chamber of the gas amplification nozzle. The gas amplification nozzle may include side chambers configured to receive pressurized gas, and may include openings to supply pressurized gas to the main chamber of the gas amplification nozzle. The gas amplification nozzle may include a second opening at the bottom of the nozzle to guide an outflow, which may contain air and pressurized gas, from the main chamber to a pressure plate to cool the polishing pad.

[0011] In some embodiments, pressurized gas may be received via a manifold fluidly connected to a gas nozzle. In some embodiments, the effluent may include water. Air around the gas nozzle may be entrained in the effluent directed to the polishing pad. The pressurized gas may include nitrogen. A second opening may include a diameter of approximately 1 cm. Air may be directed into the chamfer at least partially by a fan. The pressurized gas may increase the velocity of the air from the main chamber and the effluent of the pressurized gas.

[0012] A method may include moving a substrate via a carrier onto a polishing pad supported by a pressure plate within a chemical mechanical polishing chamber. The method may include providing a slurry to the polishing pad and / or the substrate. The slurry may include one or more compounds to perform chemical mechanical processing. The method may include rotating the pressure plate to remove material from the substrate via the slurry and polishing pad. The method may include providing a first fluid to a nozzle. The method may include providing a second fluid to the nozzle, such that the second fluid combines with the first fluid and gas surrounding the nozzle to form an effluent, which is directed toward the substrate and / or the polishing pad.

[0013] In some embodiments, the effluent may include an atomized fluid, such as water. The effluent may cool the substrate and / or polishing pad to below or about 37°C. The substrate and / or polishing pad may be cooled to below or about 37°C in less than or about 10 seconds. The second fluid may include pressurized nitrogen. At least a portion of the first fluid may be drawn into a nozzle from the chemical mechanical polishing chamber via a chamfer. The substrate and / or polishing pad may be cooled to below or about 30°C. Attached Figure Description

[0014] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the disclosed technology can be achieved by referring to the remainder of the specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 A chemical mechanical polishing chamber according to certain embodiments is shown.

[0016] Figure 2 A chemical mechanical polishing chamber including a gas amplifier for cooling the polishing pad is shown according to certain embodiments.

[0017] Figure 3 A gas amplification nozzle according to certain embodiments is shown.

[0018] Figure 4 A graph showing the temperature versus time of a polishing pad according to certain embodiments is shown.

[0019] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for cooling a polishing pad during a chemical mechanical polishing process, according to certain embodiments, is shown.

[0020] Several accompanying drawings are included as illustrations. It should be understood that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered to be to scale unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, these drawings are provided as illustrations to aid understanding and may not include all aspects or information compared to a true representation, and may include exaggerated material for illustrative purposes.

[0021] In the accompanying drawings, similar parts and / or features may have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, various parts of the same type can be distinguished by adding letters after the reference numerals to differentiate them. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any similar parts having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the lettering. Detailed Implementation

[0022] In conventional chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) operations, gas is supplied to the substrate and / or polishing pad during the CMP operation to cool the substrate within the chamber. The gas can be supplied via nozzles located within a sealed arm. Because the nozzles are located within the sealed arm, the amount of gas delivered by each nozzle can be limited to the amount that can be supplied from within the arm. For example, compressed nitrogen can be delivered to the nozzles via a manifold. The nozzles can then guide the compressed nitrogen to the substrate to cool it.

[0023] In the aforementioned system, the amount of gas that can be delivered to the substrate may be limited by the amount of gas delivered to the nozzle. Consequently, the amount of cooling that can be provided to the substrate may also be limited. However, the chamber can contain a gas, such as air. If the air within the chamber is also directed towards the substrate during CMP operation, the cooling performance can be enhanced. Because the cooling performance is enhanced, more consistent products can be manufactured using the substrate, as smaller thermal strain can exist on the substrate (and the products made from it).

[0024] In one possible solution, the chemical mechanical processing chamber may include multiple nozzles. These nozzles may be attached to an arm comprising one or more supports. The arm may be open, allowing air within the chamber to flow through gaps defined between each of the nozzles. Furthermore, the nozzles may be configured to draw air in from the top of the chamber. When pressurized gas is supplied to each nozzle, the pressurized gas can (at least partially) facilitate the drawing of air from the top of the nozzle (e.g., via a chamfer). The pressurized gas and air may combine within the nozzles and be directed towards the substrate as an effluent. The velocity of the effluent can create a low-pressure zone at the edge of the effluent. Air in the gaps between each of the nozzles may then be entrained in the effluent. Thus, the amount of gas delivered to the substrate can be increased by two times or more compared to a more conventional cooling system. Cooling performance can therefore be improved, and the substrate can experience less thermal strain.

[0025] While the remainder of this disclosure will routinely identify specific cooling mechanisms utilizing the disclosed techniques, it will be readily understood that the systems and methods described are equally applicable to a wide variety of other semiconductor processing operations and systems. Therefore, the techniques should not be considered limited to use alone with the described polishing systems or processes. Before describing systems and methods or operations with exemplary process sequences according to some embodiments of the present technology, this disclosure will discuss a possible system that can be used with the present technology. It should be understood that the techniques are not limited to the described equipment, and the discussed processes can be performed in any number of processing chambers and systems along with any number of modifications, some of which will be noted below.

[0026] Figure 1 A chemical mechanical polishing system 100 according to certain embodiments is illustrated. The polishing system 100 includes a plate assembly 102 comprising a lower plate 104 and an upper plate 106. The lower plate 104 may define an internal volume or cavity through which connections can be made, and may include endpoint detection devices or other sensors or devices, such as eddy current sensors, optical sensors, or other components for monitoring polishing operations or components. For example, and as further described below, a fluid coupler may be formed with wiring extending through the lower plate 104, which can enter and exit the upper plate 106 through the back side of the upper plate. The plate assembly 102 may support a polishing pad 110 mounted on a first surface of the upper plate. A substrate carrier 108 or support head may be disposed on and may face the polishing pad 110. The plate assembly 102 is rotatable about axis A, while the substrate carrier 108 is rotatable about axis B. The substrate carrier can also be configured to sweep back and forth along the pressure plate assembly from the inner radius to the outer radius, which can partially reduce uneven wear on the surface of the polishing pad 110. The polishing system 100 may also include a fluid delivery arm 118 located above the polishing pad 110, which can be used to deliver a polishing fluid, such as polishing slurry, onto the polishing pad 110. In addition, a pad adjustment assembly 120 may be disposed above the polishing pad 110 and may face the polishing pad 110.

[0027] In some embodiments of the chemical mechanical polishing process, a rotating and / or sweeping substrate carrier 108 can apply a downward force against substrate 112, shown in dashed lines, which may be disposed within or coupled to the substrate carrier. As the polishing pad 110 rotates about the central axis of the pressure plate assembly, the applied downward force presses the material surface of substrate 112 against the polishing pad 110. This interaction between substrate 112 and polishing pad 110 can occur in the presence of one or more polishing fluids conveyed by the fluid transfer arm 118. Typical polishing fluids may comprise slurries formed from aqueous solutions in which abrasive particles can be suspended. Typically, the polishing fluid contains pH adjusters and other chemically active components (such as oxidants) that enable chemical mechanical polishing of the material surface of substrate 112.

[0028] An operable pad adjustment assembly 120 applies a fixed abrasive adjustment disc 122 against the surface of a polishing pad 110, which is rotatable as previously described. The adjustment disc can be operated against the pad before, after, or during polishing of the substrate 112. Adjusting the polishing pad 110 via the adjustment disc 122 allows the polishing pad 110 to be held in a desired state by wiping, restoring, and removing polishing byproducts and other debris from the polished surface of the polishing pad 110. An upper pressure plate 106 can be disposed on the mounting surface of a lower pressure plate 104 and can be coupled to the lower pressure plate 104 using a plurality of fasteners 138, such as an annular flange-shaped portion extending through the lower pressure plate 104.

[0029] The dimensions of the polishing plate assembly 102 (and therefore the upper plate 106) can be suitably adjusted for any desired polishing system, and the dimensions can be adjusted for substrates of any diameter, including 200 mm, 300 mm, 450 mm, or larger. For example, a polishing plate assembly configured to polish a 300 mm diameter substrate may be characterized by a diameter greater than about 300 mm, such as between about 500 mm and about 1000 mm, or greater than about 500 mm. The diameter of the plate can be adjusted to accommodate substrates characterized by larger or smaller diameters, or the dimensions of the upper plate 106 can be adjusted for polishing multiple substrates simultaneously. The upper plate 106 may be characterized by a thickness between about 20 mm and about 150 mm, and may be characterized by a thickness less than or about 100 mm, such as less than or about 80 mm, less than or about 60 mm, less than or about 40 mm, or smaller. In some embodiments, the ratio of the diameter to the thickness of the upper pressure plate 106 may be greater than or about 3:1, greater than or about 5:1, greater than or about 10:1, greater than or about 15:1, greater than or about 20:1, greater than or about 25:1, greater than or about 30:1, greater than or about 40:1, greater than or about 50:1, or greater.

[0030] The upper and / or lower pressure plates can be formed of a material that is appropriately rigid, lightweight, and resistant to the corrosion of polishing fluids, such as aluminum, aluminum alloys, or stainless steel, but any number of materials can be used. The polishing pad 110 can be formed of any number of materials, including polymeric materials such as polyurethane, polycarbonate, fluoropolymers, polytetrafluoroethylene polyphenylene sulfide, or any combination of these or other materials. Additional materials can be or include open-cell or closed-cell foam polymers, elastomers, felt, impregnated felt, plastics, or any other material compatible with processing chemicals. It should be understood that the inclusion of polishing system 100 is intended to provide appropriate reference to the components discussed below, which can be incorporated into system 100; however, the description of polishing system 100 is not intended to limit the technology in any way, as the technology can be incorporated into any number of polishing systems that can benefit from the components and / or capabilities further described below.

[0031] Figure 2 A chemical mechanical polishing chamber 200 according to certain embodiments is shown, which includes a gas amplifier for cooling the polishing pad 210. The chemical mechanical polishing chamber (sometimes, "chamber") 200 may be similar to... Figure 1 The polishing system 100 includes similar components and functions. Therefore, the corresponding figures may include descriptions similar to those described above. The chamber 200 may include a pressure plate assembly 202, which includes a lower pressure plate 204 and an upper pressure plate 206. The pressure plate assembly 202 may include a polishing pad 210 mounted on a first surface of the upper pressure plate. A substrate carrier 108 or carrier head may be disposed above and face the polishing pad 210. The chamber 200 may also include a slurry delivery arm 218 located above the polishing pad 210 and may be used to deliver polishing fluid, such as polishing slurry, onto the polishing pad 210. The polishing pad 210 can then polish the substrate 212.

[0032] The chamber 200 may also include a gas cooling assembly 220 for cooling the polishing pad 210 during the chemical mechanical polishing process. The gas cooling assembly may include one or more nozzles 222a-c, each nozzle connected to a corresponding chamfer 223a-c. Each nozzle 222a-c may provide a corresponding effluent 224a-c to the polishing pad 210, thereby cooling the polishing pad 210 during the chemical mechanical polishing process. The nozzles 222a-c may be positioned over the polishing pad 210 and supported by an arm 240. The arm 240 may be attached to the interior of the chamber 200. In some embodiments, the arm 240 may extend along one side of each of the nozzles 222a-c (e.g., the rear side of the nozzle 222a-c). Thus, the nozzles 222a-c may be attached to the arm 140 at a single point. In other embodiments, the arm 240 may extend along opposite sides of the nozzles 222a-c, such that the nozzles 222a-c are connected to the arm 240 at two points. In either case, an air gap may be defined between adjacent nozzles 222a-c, which allows gas within the chemical mechanical polishing system (sometimes, “chamber”) 200 to flow freely between nozzles 222a-c.

[0033] Arm 140 may further include a manifold to deliver pressurized gas to each of the nozzles 222a-c. Thus, the manifold may be fluidly connected to each of the nozzles 222a-c, allowing pressurized gas to flow through each nozzle 222a-c into the corresponding effluent 224a-c. In some embodiments, the pressurized gas may include nitrogen. The manifold may deliver pressurized gas to each of the nozzles 222a-c at a pressure of 2 ATM. In some embodiments, the manifold may deliver a specific volume of nitrogen at a specific rate.

[0034] The chamfers 223a-c can draw gas from the chemical mechanical polishing chamber 200 into the corresponding nozzles 222a-c. For example, the chemical mechanical polishing chamber 200 may be filled with air or other gases. The chamfers 223a-c can then draw gas from the chemical mechanical polishing chamber 200 into the corresponding nozzles 222a-c. The gas can flow from the chamfers 223a-c into the main chamber of the nozzles 222a-c. The gas (e.g., air) can combine with pressurized gas to form an effluent 224a-c in the main chamber. The pressurized gas can move faster than the air drawn in by the chamfers 223a-c, thereby increasing the velocity of the effluent 224a-c.

[0035] Each of the nozzles 222a-c may include a bottom hole pointing towards the polishing pad 210. The opening at the bottom may be characterized by a radius smaller than the radius of the main chamber of the nozzles 222a-c. For example, the bottom hole may be between 5 mm and 20 mm, including 5 mm and 20 mm. The main chamber of each of the nozzles 222a-c may include a radius between 50 mm and 100 mm, including 50 mm and 100 mm. Therefore, when the effluent 224a-c flows from the main chamber through the opening at the bottom of the nozzles 222a-c, the effluent 224a-c may move at a higher speed than inside the main chamber.

[0036] Effluent 224a-c may be provided as an atomized fluid. The atomized fluid may include gas, pressurized gas, water, and any other suitable liquid. Effluent 224a-c may cool polishing pad 210 and / or substrate 212 to temperatures below or about 45°C, below or about 40°C, below or about 35°C, and below or about 30°C. These temperatures may be reached in time ranges of less than or about 15 seconds, less than or about 12 seconds, and less than or about 9 seconds.

[0037] In some embodiments, gas may be supplied to chamfers 223a-c via a second arm 130. The second arm 130 may supply air or another gas from outside the chambers 200 to each of the chamfers 223a-c. The second arm 130 may include a fan or other means to direct and accelerate the gas within the second arm 130. Alternatively or additionally, the arm 130 may draw gas from the chambers 200 and supply the gas to the chamfers 223a-c.

[0038] In some embodiments, nozzles 222a-c may not draw gas through chamfers 223a-c. Instead, nozzles 222a-c may only supply pressurized gas from the manifold. As the pressurized gas exits nozzles 222a-c, gas surrounding nozzles 222a-c (e.g., in the gaps between each of nozzles 222a-c) may be entrained by the pressurized gas to form effluent 224a-c. Thus, effluent 224a-c may comprise a mixture of pressurized gas and some gas particles mixed throughout effluent 224a-c. Effluent 224a-c may also comprise another atomizing fluid, such as water.

[0039] Figure 3 A gas amplification nozzle (“nozzle”) 300 according to certain embodiments is shown. Nozzle 300 may be similar to… Figure 2 At least some of the nozzles 222a-c. In some embodiments, some nozzles 222a-c may resemble nozzle 300, while other nozzles 222a-c may include some components of nozzle 300 or may not include components of nozzle 300. In other embodiments, all nozzles 222a-c may resemble nozzle 300.

[0040] Nozzle 300 may include a main chamber 302, an effluent opening 304, a side chamber 306, and a chamfer 323. Side chamber 306 may be configured to receive pressurized gas 312 and supply pressurized gas 312 to the main chamber 302 via a small opening 308. Side chamber 306 may be fluidly connected to a manifold or similar structure capable of delivering pressurized gas 312 to nozzle 300. Pressurized gas 312 may include nitrogen, air, atomized water, and / or other suitable gases. Small opening 308 may be characterized by a radius smaller than that of side chamber 306. Therefore, the velocity of pressurized gas 312 may be increased when it enters main chamber 302 from side chamber 306.

[0041] The chamfer 323 can draw in ambient gas 310 from a chemical mechanical polishing system (or “chamber”) such as chamber 200. Ambient gas 310 can be air or any other gas found within the chemical mechanical polishing chamber. In some embodiments, the chamfer 323 can passively guide ambient gas 310 into the main chamber of nozzle 300. For example, the chamfer 323 may be characterized by a wider opening for drawing in ambient gas 310 and a narrower opening leading to the main chamber 302. Thus, the chamfer 323 can guide ambient gas 310 from the chemical mechanical polishing chamber into the main chamber 302. Ambient gas 310 can be (relatively) stagnant. Because the chamfer 323 is wider at its apex, ambient gas 310 can be guided into the chamfer 323. Simultaneously, the increasing rate of pressurized gas 312 within the main chamber 302 can create a relatively low-pressure region within the main chamber 302, above the small opening 308. Therefore, the relatively low-pressure area can further cause the surrounding gas 310 to flow from the chamfer 323 into the main chamber 302.

[0042] In other embodiments, ambient gas 310 may be actively directed into chamfer 323 and / or main chamber 302. For example, the chemical mechanical processing chamber may include a fan or other means for directing ambient gas 310 to chamfer 323. Alternatively or additionally, chamfer 323 may be fluidly connected to a second manifold or other delivery system for directing ambient gas 310 to chamfer 323. Many different possibilities will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0043] In the main chamber 302, ambient gas 310 and pressurized gas 312 can combine to form an effluent 324. The effluent 324 can be guided toward the substrate and / or polishing pad via an effluent opening 304. In some embodiments, the effluent opening 304 can be configured to increase the velocity of the effluent 324. For example, the effluent opening 304 can be narrower than the main chamber 302 (e.g., 0.5 cm, 1 cm, 2 cm, etc.). The effluent opening 304 may also include an atomizer configured to combine ambient gas 310, pressurized gas 312, and / or another fluid (e.g., water) into an atomized mist as the effluent 324.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, nozzles 300 can be arranged on an arm (such as arm 240) such that a gap exists between any two nozzles on the arm. The gap can be filled with a second gas 316. The second gas 316 can be the same as or a different gas from the surrounding gas 310. For example, both the second gas 316 and the surrounding gas 310 can be air. Because the effluent 324 can include a velocity greater than that of the second gas 316 in the gap between the nozzles, the second gas 316 can become entrained or mixed with the effluent 324. In other words, the effluent 324 can cause the second gas 316 to be drawn towards the substrate and / or polishing pad, thereby further cooling the substrate and / or polishing pad.

[0045] Figure 4 A temperature versus time graph 400 of a polishing pad according to certain embodiments is shown. Graph 400 can illustrate the performance of a conventional cooling system and the performance of a cooling system as described herein. For example, a conventional cooling system may include multiple nozzles in a closed arm. Therefore, the nozzles of a conventional cooling system may only comprise the gas supplied to the nozzles. In other words, the nozzles may be sealed, preventing access to the gas within the chemical mechanical processing chamber unless the gas is supplied to the nozzles. Furthermore, because the nozzles can be positioned within a closed arm, any gas between the nozzles can also be within the closed arm. Therefore, the gas between the nozzles is not entrained in the nozzle effluent and is directed toward the polishing pad and / or substrate.

[0046] The first line 402 may indicate the performance of a conventional cooling system. For example, at 9 seconds or about 9 seconds, line 402 may indicate a temperature of about 37°C. The second line 404 may indicate the performance of some of the cooling systems and techniques described herein (e.g., gas cooling assembly 220 and / or nozzle 300). In contrast to the first line 402, the second line 404 may indicate reaching a temperature of about 37°C within 4 seconds or about 4 seconds. Therefore, compared to conventional cooling systems, the time required to reach a temperature of about 37°C using the cooling systems and techniques described herein is approximately half that of conventional cooling systems. At 9 seconds, the second line 404 may indicate a temperature of about 32°C. Therefore, the cooling systems and techniques described herein can cool the polishing pad and / or substrate more effectively than possible using conventional cooling systems.

[0047] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method 500 for cooling a polishing pad during a chemical mechanical polishing process, according to certain embodiments, is shown. Method 500 can be performed by any or all of the systems described herein. For example, method 500 can be performed by... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The system 100, chamber 200, and / or nozzle 300 are used for execution. Some steps of method 500 can be performed in accordance with... Figure 5 The steps shown may be executed in different sequences and / or in combination with other steps. In some embodiments, some steps of method 500 may be skipped together.

[0048] At step 505, method 500 may include moving a substrate onto a polishing pad supported by a pressure plate within a chemical mechanical polishing chamber. The substrate may be moved via a carrier. The chemical mechanical polishing chamber may be similar to... Figure 1 System 100 and / or Figure 2 The chamber 200 is located within the substrate. The substrate may include one or more chips and / or semiconductor devices.

[0049] At step 510, the method may include providing a slurry to a polishing pad and / or a substrate. The slurry may include one or more compounds to perform a chemical mechanical treatment. For example, the slurry may include an aqueous solution in which abrasive particles can be suspended. The slurry may also include a pH adjuster and other chemically active components (such as oxidants) that can achieve chemical mechanical polishing of the material surface of the substrate.

[0050] At step 515, the method may include rotating a pressure plate to remove material from the substrate, such that the slurry and polishing pad are removed. The material may move according to a certain threshold to achieve a desired substrate thickness.

[0051] At step 520, the method may include directing a first fluid from a nozzle toward a substrate and / or a polishing pad. The first fluid may include gases within a chemical mechanical treatment chamber, such as... Figure 3 The surrounding gas 310. The gas may be passively (e.g., by a chamfer such as chamfer 323) and / or actively (e.g., via a fan) drawn into the nozzle. The first fluid may also include air or any other gas typically found in chemical mechanical polishing chambers.

[0052] At step 525, method 500 may include providing a second fluid to the nozzle, such that the second fluid combines with the first fluid. The first and second fluids may combine in the main chamber of the nozzle (e.g., main chamber 302). The second fluid may include a pressurized gas (e.g., nitrogen). The first and second fluids may combine with a gas surrounding the nozzle to form an effluent directed toward the substrate and / or polishing pad. The effluent may include an atomized fluid. The atomized fluid may include water.

[0053] In some embodiments, the effluent can cool the substrate and / or polishing pad to a temperature below or about 37°C. The effluent can cool the substrate and / or polishing pad to a temperature below or about 37°C in less than or about 10 seconds. In some embodiments, the substrate and / or polishing pad can be cooled to a temperature below or about 30°C.

[0054] In some embodiments, the nozzle may be attached to an arm within the chemical mechanical processing chamber. The arm may allow gas to flow between the nozzle and adjacent nozzles. Chamfering of the gas attached to the nozzle and / or between the nozzle and adjacent nozzles may increase the amount of effluent directed toward the substrate and / or polishing pad.

[0055] In the foregoing description, several details have been set forth for illustrative purposes to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the present technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments may be practiced without some of these details or with additional details.

[0056] Several embodiments have been disclosed, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents can be used without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. Furthermore, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present technology, many well-known processes and components have not been described. Therefore, the above description should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present technology.

[0057] When a range of values ​​is provided, it should be understood that, unless the context explicitly specifies otherwise, each intermediate value between the upper and lower limits of the range is also specifically disclosed, up to the smallest fraction of the lower limit unit. This encompasses any specified value or unspecified intermediate value within the specified range and any narrower range between it and any other specified value or intermediate value within the specified range. The upper and lower limits of these narrower ranges may be independently included or excluded from the range, and each range that includes any limit, excludes two limits, or includes two limits is also covered in the technique, but is subject to any explicitly excluded limit in the specified range. Where the specified range includes one or both limits, ranges excluding any one or both of the included limits are also included.

[0058] As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly specifies otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a heater” includes a plurality of such heaters, and reference to “the protrusion” includes reference to one or more protrusions and their equivalents known to those skilled in the art, and so on.

[0059] Furthermore, when used in this specification and the following claims, the terms “comprise(s) / comprising,” “contain(s) / containing,” and “include(s) / including” are intended to specify the presence of the specified feature, integer, component, or operation, but they do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, operations, actions, or groups.

Claims

1. A chemical mechanical polishing chamber, the chemical mechanical polishing chamber comprising: A pressure plate disposed within the chemical mechanical polishing chamber, the pressure plate being configured to support a polishing pad; A slurry conveying arm configured to convey slurry to the polishing pad during a chemical mechanical polishing process; An arm, comprising one or more supports, mechanically attached to the inside of the chemical mechanical polishing chamber and positioned above the pressure plate; and A plurality of nozzles configured to deliver gas to the polishing pad, the plurality of nozzles being mechanically attached to one or more supports of the arm, each of the plurality of nozzles being oriented such that an air gap is disposed between adjacent nozzles of the plurality of nozzles, such that air can be drawn from the air gap and pushed toward the polishing pad together with the gas.

2. The chemical mechanical polishing chamber of claim 1, further comprising a manifold disposed above the plurality of nozzles, the manifold being configured to supply air to the plurality of nozzles.

3. The chemical mechanical polishing chamber of claim 1, wherein the gas comprises nitrogen.

4. The chemical mechanical polishing chamber of claim 1, further comprising a manifold fluidly connected to each of the plurality of nozzles, the manifold being configured to deliver pressurized gas.

5. The chemical mechanical polishing chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of nozzles includes a chamfer configured to direct the gas into the respective nozzle to increase the volume of gas delivered to the polishing pad via the respective nozzle.

6. A gas amplification nozzle for a chemical mechanical polishing chamber, the gas amplification nozzle comprising: main chamber; A first opening, located at the top of the gas amplifying nozzle, is configured to allow air to enter the main chamber; A chamfer, attached to the tip of the gas amplifying nozzle, is configured to guide air into the main chamber of the nozzle; A side chamber configured to receive pressurized gas and including an opening to supply the pressurized gas to the main chamber of the gas amplification nozzle; and A second opening, located at the bottom of the gas amplification nozzle, guides an outflow comprising the air and pressurized gas from the main chamber to the pressure plate to cool the polishing pad.

7. The gas amplifying nozzle of claim 6, wherein the pressurized gas is received via a manifold fluidly connected to the gas amplifying nozzle.

8. The gas amplification nozzle of claim 6, wherein the effluent comprises water.

9. The gas amplifying nozzle of claim 6, wherein the air surrounding the gas amplifying nozzle is entrained in the effluent directed to the polishing pad.

10. The gas amplification nozzle of claim 6, wherein the pressurized gas comprises nitrogen.

11. The gas amplification nozzle of claim 6, wherein the second opening comprises a diameter of about 1 cm.

12. The gas amplifying nozzle of claim 6, wherein the air is directed into the chamfer at least in part by a fan.

13. The gas amplifying nozzle of claim 6, wherein the pressurized gas increases the velocity of the air from the main chamber and the outflow of the pressurized gas.

14. A method comprising: The substrate is moved by a carrier onto a polishing pad supported by a pressure plate in a chemical mechanical polishing chamber; A slurry is provided to the polishing pad and / or the substrate, the slurry containing one or more compounds to perform a chemimechanical treatment; Rotating the pressure plate causes the slurry and the polishing pad to remove material from the substrate; Provide the first fluid to the nozzle; and A second fluid is supplied to the nozzle such that the second fluid combines with the first fluid and the gas surrounding the nozzle to form an effluent, which is directed toward the substrate and / or polishing pad.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the effluent comprises an atomized fluid, the atomized fluid comprising water.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the effluent cools the substrate and / or the polishing pad to below or about 37°C.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate and / or the polishing pad is cooled to below or about 37°C in less than or about 10 seconds.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the second fluid comprises pressurized nitrogen.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the first fluid is drawn into the nozzle from the chemical mechanical polishing chamber via a chamfer.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the substrate and / or the polishing pad are cooled to below or about 30°C.

Images