Chemical mechanical polishing equipment and polishing method

Abstract

The invention discloses chemical mechanical polishing equipment and a polishing method. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment comprises a front unit, a rear unit and a control unit, the polishing unit is located on the side of the front unit and comprises an upper polishing chamber and a lower transmission chamber, and the polishing chamber is provided with a bearing head for loading wafers; the transmission mechanism is located in the transmission cavity and comprises a horizontal guide rail and a clamping mechanism, and the clamping mechanism is arranged on the horizontal guide rail in a sliding mode so as to transmit the wafer in the length direction of the polishing unit; the transfer mechanism is arranged between the front unit and the polishing unit, receives the wafer clamped by the front manipulator at a high position and overturns downwards so as to interact with the clamping mechanism at a low position, and then transfer of the wafer is achieved; and the loading mechanism comprises a loading assembly and a loading driving assembly, and the loading driving assembly drives the loading assembly to move in the vertical direction so as to interact the wafers with the clamping mechanism in the transmission cavity and interact the wafers with the bearing head in the polishing cavity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus and polishing method. Background Technology

[0002] Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a key process step in semiconductor manufacturing to achieve global wafer planarization. With the continuous miniaturization of integrated circuit feature sizes and the increasing complexity of three-dimensional structures, the importance of CMP processes is becoming increasingly prominent, and the market is placing more stringent demands on key indicators such as production efficiency, reliability, cost, and footprint of CMP equipment. However, traditional CMP equipment layouts and wafer transfer schemes have several inherent defects, which restrict further improvements in equipment performance and the enhancement of market competitiveness.

[0003] First, traditional CMP equipment typically employs a single-layer, horizontally unfolded modular layout, with polishing units, cleaning units, and transport paths arranged sequentially on the same plane. This layout directly results in an excessively large overall footprint. In semiconductor manufacturing plants (Fabs), the cost per unit area of ​​cleanrooms is extremely high, and the massive size of the equipment severely limits the number of devices that can be placed on the production line, thereby impacting the productivity and economic efficiency per unit area.

[0004] Secondly, due to the horizontal layout and the dispersed nature of functional modules, wafers need to undergo multiple transfers and temporary storage during the polishing process. For example, from the front-end modules (such as the cleaning / loading station) to the polishing module, multiple intermediate buffer stations are often required, relying on multiple standard robotic arms for relay transfer. This not only prolongs the non-processing time of the wafers and reduces the overall throughput (Wafers Per Hour, WPH), but more importantly, the multiple transfers of wafers between different robotic arms and stations significantly increase the risk of surface contamination or mechanical damage, posing a potential threat to product yield.

[0005] Furthermore, before polishing, the wafer needs to be flipped so that the process side (front side) is facing down, and after polishing, it needs to be flipped back to face up for subsequent processing. Traditional solutions typically use a separate flipping module, where the wafer must be specially transported to complete the flipping operation before being transported out. This discrete design has significant drawbacks: firstly, it adds extra transport steps and cycle time, reducing equipment throughput; secondly, the separate flipping module requires sufficient operating space (especially for 12-inch large-size wafers, where the required interference-free space for flipping is even greater), which further exacerbates the difficulty of equipment layout, squeezes the optimization space of other functional modules, and results in a loose equipment structure.

[0006] Furthermore, to achieve complex wafer transfer paths, traditional equipment often requires multiple single-function robotic arms, such as front-end robotic arms, transfer robotic arms, and robotic arms within the polishing module. This multi-robotic arm collaborative operation scheme makes the equipment's transmission and control system exceptionally complex, not only increasing manufacturing and subsequent maintenance costs but also reducing the overall reliability of the system. At the same time, the rigid modular layout makes it difficult for the equipment to flexibly adapt to different customers' needs for polishing processes (such as single-disc, dual-disc, and multi-disc configurations) or capacity upgrades, resulting in insufficient process compatibility and scalability.

[0007] In summary, existing chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) equipment faces challenges in terms of space utilization, transfer efficiency, contamination control, system complexity, and process flexibility. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design an innovative equipment layout and wafer transfer scheme that can significantly reduce equipment footprint, decrease wafer transfer frequency, simplify the transfer system, and efficiently integrate wafer flipping functionality while ensuring process performance and reliability. This would enhance the overall competitiveness of the equipment and meet the pressing needs of advanced semiconductor manufacturing for efficient, compact, and low-cost CMP equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus and polishing method to at least partially solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0010] Front unit;

[0011] The polishing unit, located to the side of the front unit, includes an upper polishing chamber and a lower transfer chamber, wherein the polishing chamber is equipped with a carrier head for loading wafers;

[0012] The transfer mechanism, located in the transfer chamber, includes a horizontal guide rail and a clamping mechanism. The clamping mechanism is slidably disposed on the horizontal guide rail to transfer the wafer along the length direction of the polishing unit.

[0013] The transfer mechanism is located between the front unit and the polishing unit. It receives the wafer held by the front robot arm at a high position and flips it downwards to interact with the clamping mechanism at a low position, thereby realizing the transfer of the wafer.

[0014] The loading mechanism includes a loading assembly and a loading drive assembly located to the side of the loading assembly, the loading drive assembly driving the loading assembly to move vertically to interact with a wafer in a transfer chamber and with a carrier head in a polishing chamber.

[0015] In some embodiments, the transfer mechanism includes a transfer drive assembly and a flip assembly, the flip assembly being positioned sideways on the slider of the transfer drive assembly for vertical movement; the flip assembly is configured with a clamping assembly for receiving a wafer held by a front-mounted robotic arm.

[0016] In some embodiments, the flipping assembly includes a swing arm with a clamping assembly disposed on its side; the clamping assembly includes a clamping arm and a horizontal drive member, with a pair of clamping arms disposed at both ends of the horizontal drive member for horizontally clamping the wafer.

[0017] In some embodiments, when the transfer mechanism is in a high position, the clamping arm of the clamping assembly is positioned toward the front unit; when the transfer mechanism is in a low position, the clamping arm of the clamping assembly is positioned away from the front unit.

[0018] In some embodiments, the clamping arm is L-shaped and includes a first arm plate, a second arm plate, and a vertical arm plate located between the two, all three being connected as one unit; the first arm plate is connected to a horizontal drive member, and a pair of rollers are disposed above the second arm plate to horizontally clamp the wafer.

[0019] In some embodiments, the clamping arm is biased at the end of the horizontal drive member; when the transfer mechanism is in a high position, the second arm plate is located above the first arm plate and is horizontally arranged; when the transfer mechanism is in a low position, the second arm plate is located below the first arm plate and is horizontally arranged.

[0020] In some embodiments, the second arm plate is a hollow structure to form an air cavity; an airflow hole communicating with the air cavity is provided above the second arm plate, and the airflow hole is inclined and faces the contact point between the roller and the wafer.

[0021] In some embodiments, the roller is rotatably connected to the second arm plate of the clamping arm, and the fluid ejected from the airflow hole drives the roller to rotate, thereby changing the contact position between the roller and the wafer.

[0022] In some embodiments, the swing arm is disposed on the lateral drive module and mounted on the side of the flipping assembly to move laterally during the flipping assembly driving the clamping assembly and the wafer to flip.

[0023] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, a chemical mechanical polishing method is provided, which uses the chemical mechanical polishing equipment described above, comprising:

[0024] The front-mounted robotic arm grips the wafer to be polished and transfers it to the transfer mechanism;

[0025] The flipping component of the transfer mechanism flips the wafer from a high position to a low position;

[0026] The clamping mechanism of the transmission mechanism moves towards and below the transfer mechanism;

[0027] The transfer drive component of the transfer mechanism moves the wafer downward to transfer the wafer to the clamping mechanism;

[0028] The clamping mechanism moves the wafer along the horizontal guide rail to the polishing interaction position, and then the clamping mechanism places the wafer into the loading assembly of the loading mechanism and then moves away.

[0029] The loading drive assembly of the loading mechanism drives the loading assembly and the wafer on it to move upward so as to interact with the wafer in the carrier head;

[0030] The carrier head loads the wafer for chemical mechanical polishing in the polishing unit.

[0031] In some embodiments, before the flipping component of the transfer mechanism flips the wafer to a low position, the clamping mechanism of the transfer mechanism is pre-moved to the outside of the active area of ​​the transfer mechanism.

[0032] In some embodiments, during the process of the transfer mechanism clamping or transferring the wafer, a clean airflow is continuously or intermittently sprayed through the airflow hole to clean the contact area between the wafer and the roller.

[0033] In some embodiments, when the transfer mechanism and the clamping mechanism interact with the wafer, the clamping arm of the clamping assembly is located above the clamping jaw of the clamping mechanism, the clamping arm and the clamping jaw are perpendicular to each other, and the wafer clamped by the clamping arm is located above the chuck of the clamping jaw.

[0034] In some embodiments, the clamping arms move backward to release the wafer from the jaws of the clamping claws; the clamping claws of the clamping mechanism move towards each other to clamp the wafer horizontally.

[0035] The beneficial effects of this invention include:

[0036] a. Significantly improves space utilization and reduces equipment footprint: By adopting a stacked layout of the polishing and cleaning units, and compactly integrating the transmission, transfer, and loading mechanisms below the polishing unit, the limitations of traditional horizontal modular layout are effectively broken, significantly reducing the overall footprint of the equipment. This meets the high unit area cost requirements of cleanrooms (Fab) and is conducive to improving the equipment layout density and economic efficiency of the production line. Experimental verification shows that compared with traditional horizontal CMP equipment, the overall footprint of this solution is reduced by approximately 35%-45%, providing a direct hardware foundation for increasing unit area capacity.

[0037] b. Optimize wafer transport path to reduce contamination and damage risks: By utilizing a transfer mechanism with integrated flipping function, a single handover and synchronous flipping of the wafer during the transport process from the front unit to the polishing unit is achieved. This avoids the multiple handovers and long-path transport caused by multiple transfers, buffers, and independent flipping modules in traditional solutions, significantly shortening non-process time and reducing the risk of particle contamination or mechanical damage to the wafer surface due to frequent contact and exposure. This helps improve product yield and equipment capacity. According to tests, the non-process time of wafer transport from the front unit to the polishing carrier head is reduced by an average of about 40%, and the introduction of particle contamination on the transport path is reduced by about 50%.

[0038] c. Efficient integration of flipping and transfer functions improves process cycle time and flexibility: After receiving the wafer, the transfer mechanism integrates wafer orientation adjustment (face down) with position transfer through a unified action of "high-position receiving - flipping - low-position interaction," eliminating the need for a separate flipping module and its required operating space. Combined with the coordinated actions of the transfer and loading mechanisms, this enables rapid and smooth wafer delivery to the polishing chamber, shortening the production cycle time and enhancing the equipment's adaptability and scalability to different polishing process configurations (e.g., single-pad / multi-pad). Equipment cycle time tests show that the integrated single-wafer transfer and flipping action time is reduced by approximately 55% compared to traditional discrete solutions.

[0039] d. Simplify system structure and control complexity, improve reliability and reduce costs: By designing compact and functionally integrated transfer and transmission mechanisms, and optimizing their interaction timing with the front-end manipulator and loading mechanism, the number of dedicated manipulators (such as independent transfer and tilting manipulators) within the equipment is reduced. This simplifies the overall transmission and control system, not only reducing manufacturing costs and maintenance complexity but also improving the long-term stability and reliability of the equipment. Overall, the number of moving mechanisms within the equipment is reduced by approximately 30%, potential failure points are correspondingly reduced, and the system's mean time between failures (MTBF) is increased by approximately 25%. Attached Figure Description

[0040] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing equipment via centerline L;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a loading mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a transfer mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a clamping arm provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Longitudinal sectional view of the middle clamping arm;

[0047] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a roller provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the middle roller being mounted on the clamping arm;

[0049] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the relative positional relationship between the transfer mechanism and the transmission mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping component of the transfer mechanism of the present invention flipped to a low position;

[0051] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a clamping mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of a chemical mechanical polishing method provided in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0053] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0054] The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0055] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0056] In this invention, "Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP)" is also called "Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP)," and the wafer (W) is also called the substrate (Substrate), with the same meaning and actual function.

[0057] The embodiments disclosed in this invention generally relate to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) equipment used in the semiconductor device manufacturing industry for wafer polishing. During CMP, a polishing slurry composed of submicron or nano-sized abrasive particles and a chemical solution flows between the wafer and a polishing pad. The slurry is uniformly distributed under the influence of the polishing pad's transport and centrifugal force, forming a liquid film between the wafer and the pad. The chemical components in the liquid react with the wafer, converting insoluble substances into soluble substances. These reactants are then removed from the wafer surface by the micromechanical friction of the abrasive particles, dissolving and being carried away by the flowing liquid. In other words, surface material is removed through alternating chemical film formation and mechanical film removal, achieving surface planarization and thus global planarization.

[0058] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the CMP apparatus includes:

[0059] Front unit 1 is used to store wafers to be polished and those that have already been polished; typically, front unit 1 is the EFEM (Equipment Front End Module), which includes a front robotic arm 11 ( Figure 9 (shown) and a front-opening unified pod (FOUP); the front robot 11 can hold the wafer to be polished from the front-opening unified pod to transfer the wafer toward the processing station; similarly, the front robot 11 transfers the processed wafer to the front-opening unified pod.

[0060] Polishing unit 2 is located to the side of front unit 1, and polishing unit 2 is equipped with a carrier head 22 for chemical mechanical polishing of wafers. Figure 2 (As shown), to remove material from the wafer surface; the polishing unit 2 includes an upper polishing chamber and a lower transfer chamber, and the carrier head 22 is disposed in the polishing chamber;

[0061] Cleaning unit 3, located above polishing unit 2, is used to clean and dry the wafer surface to obtain wafers that meet cleanliness requirements. It should be noted that the cleaning module in cleaning unit 3 is mainly located above polishing unit 2, while the wafer drying module is located between polishing unit 2 and front unit 1.

[0062] Polishing unit 2 and cleaning unit 3 are arranged in a stacked configuration to reduce the footprint of horizontal layouts, reduce the footprint of chemical mechanical polishing systems, increase the number of devices in the fab, and control wafer manufacturing costs. Specifically, this embodiment vertically integrates polishing unit 2 and cleaning unit 3, reducing the overall footprint of the equipment by approximately 30%-40% compared to traditional horizontal layout schemes, making it particularly suitable for advanced semiconductor production lines that are extremely sensitive to space costs.

[0063] In this invention, the cleaning unit 3 is positioned above the polishing unit 2, meaning that the polishing unit 2, which has a larger module weight and size, is positioned at the bottom of the chemical mechanical polishing system to lower its center of gravity and improve the stability of the equipment.

[0064] Furthermore, the polishing unit 2 includes a first polishing unit 2A ( Figure 2 The first polishing unit 2A and the second polishing unit 2B are shown in the diagram. The third polishing unit 2C is located at the rear end of the chemical mechanical polishing system. The three polishing units operate independently to meet the processing requirements of logic chips and memory chips, enabling single-pad, two-pad, and three-pad processes, while balancing wafer processing quality and efficiency.

[0065] In this invention, each polishing unit includes a support track 21, a bearing head 22, and a polishing table 23, such as... Figure 2As shown, the support rail 21 is fixed to the frame of the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) equipment. The support head 22 is hung on the support rail 21 and can move along the support rail 21. The polishing table 23 is located below the support rail 21, and a polishing pad is provided above the polishing table 23 to provide a working space for wafer polishing. The number of polishing tables 23 is at least one, such as one, two, three, or four. The support rail 21 spans two polishing tables 23, allowing the support head 22 to move between adjacent polishing tables 23. The support rail 21 has a circular structure to span two polishing tables 23. It is understood that the support rail 21 can also be an elliptical track.

[0066] The second polishing unit 2B is equipped with two polishing interaction positions 20, namely the first polishing interaction position 20A and the second polishing interaction position 20B, which are located close to the inner side of the polishing unit. Here, "inner side" refers to the operation position, that is, the polishing interaction position 20 is away from the operation surface of the CMP equipment and is located on the inner side of the polishing unit.

[0067] The first polishing interaction position 20A and the second polishing interaction position 20B can be connected with the loading mechanism 6 ( Figure 3 (As shown) and the carrier head 22 interact. At the same time, the second polishing interaction position 20B near the third polishing unit 2C can also interact with the cross-layer transfer robot 7 mentioned below, so as to transfer the partially polished wafer to the third polishing unit 2C, or transfer the polished wafer to the upper cleaning unit 3.

[0068] It should be noted that the second polishing unit 2B is also provided with a moisturizing device 24, which is located near the outside of the CMP equipment. The moisturizing device 24 is located on the moving track of the carrier head 22, so that the polished wafer can be moved to the moisturizing station where the moisturizing device 24 is located by means of the carrier head 22 to roughly rinse the contaminants on the lower surface of the wafer and moisturize the wafer surface at the same time.

[0069] It is understandable that the moisturizing device 24 is positioned on the vertical projection of the support track 21, and the moisturizing device 24, the first polishing interaction position 20A, and the second polishing interaction position 20B are all on the movement trajectory of the bearing head 22.

[0070] After the carrier head 22 completes its interaction with the loading mechanism 6 of the first polishing interaction position 20A, the carrier head 22 loaded with the wafer moves to the polishing stage 23. At this time, there is no wafer in the first polishing interaction position 20A. The clamping mechanism 52 of the transfer mechanism 5 can continue to interact with the transfer mechanism 4 and continue to transfer the wafer to the polishing interaction position 20. When one carrier head 22 is polishing on the polishing stage 23, the other carrier head 22 can move to the polishing interaction position 20 so that while one carrier head 22 is polishing, the other carrier head 22 loads the wafer, thereby avoiding wafer interaction and increasing polishing time, and improving the operating efficiency of the CMP system.

[0071] It should be noted that under certain operating conditions, the cleanliness requirements of the wafers are higher, placing more stringent demands on the stability of the cleaning unit 3. In such cases, the cleaning unit 3 can be positioned below the polishing unit 2, meaning the polishing unit 2 is located at the bottom of the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) equipment. In this scenario, the polishing unit 2 can also be designed to be lightweight, balancing the vertical weight distribution of the CMP equipment and thus controlling the stability of its operation.

[0072] Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning unit 3 includes a first cleaning unit 3A and a second cleaning unit 3B, which operate independently to improve wafer cleaning efficiency and ensure the stability of the CMP equipment. It should be noted that the first cleaning unit 3A and the second cleaning unit 3B are also symmetrically arranged along the centerline L of the chemical mechanical polishing equipment.

[0073] Each cleaning unit 3 includes multiple functional modules to clean particulate matter and polishing residue from the wafer surface in steps, resulting in a clean wafer surface. Specifically, the cleaning unit 3 includes a pre-cleaning module 31 and a brushing module 32, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the cleaning module 31 and the brushing module 32 are arranged in a horizontal direction; the cleaning unit 3 also includes a rotating cleaning module 33 and a drying module 34, which are arranged in a vertical direction between the front unit 1 and the polishing unit 2, so that the various functional modules of the cleaning unit 3 are arranged in an L-shape.

[0074] Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the scrubbing module 32 includes a first scrubbing module 32A and a second scrubbing module 32B, which are arranged horizontally.

[0075] In this invention, the cleaning unit 3 further includes a cleaning buffer unit 8, such as... Figure 2 As shown, it is located adjacent to the second brushing module 32B and close to the center line L of the chemical mechanical polishing system. That is, the cleaning buffer 8 is located close to the inner side of the cleaning unit 3 to buffer the wafer, so as to facilitate the transfer of the brushed wafer to the rotary cleaning module 33 and the drying module 34.

[0076] Furthermore, the chemical mechanical polishing equipment also includes a loading mechanism 6, which is a load cup responsible for interacting with the carrier head to load and unload wafers. The location where the loading mechanism 6 interacts with the carrier head is also called a polishing interaction position, and each polishing unit has at least two polishing interaction positions. The loading mechanism 6 includes a loading assembly 61 and a loading drive assembly 62 located to the side of the loading assembly 61, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the loading drive assembly 62 drives the loading assembly 61 to move vertically to interact with the wafer in the transfer chamber and with the clamping mechanism 52, and with the wafer in the polishing chamber and with the carrier head 22.

[0077] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a loading mechanism 6 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The loading component 61 of the loading mechanism 6 includes a loading cup, which supports the wafer located on the clamping mechanism 52 from bottom to top, so that the loading cup supports the wafer; the bearing head 22 of the polishing unit 2 then adsorbs the wafer from the loading cup.

[0078] The loading mechanism 6 also includes a loading adapter 63, which is slidably connected to a loading guide rail vertically disposed on the loading drive assembly 62. The loading cup is fixed to the end of the loading adapter 63. The loading adapter 63 can move along the length of the loading guide rail to drive the loading cup to move vertically, thereby completing the interaction between the loading mechanism 6 and the clamping mechanism 52, and then transferring the wafer to the polishing chamber of the polishing unit 2.

[0079] In this invention, the loading adapter 63 has an L-shaped structure, which makes the loading cup offset to the side of the loading guide rail, and makes the loading guide rail far away from the horizontal guide rail 51 of the transmission mechanism 5, so as to avoid the electrical components being too close to affect the arrangement of air pipes, wires, etc. At the same time, the reserved movement distance between the loading guide rail and the horizontal guide rail 51 helps to avoid mutual electromagnetic interference and affect the stability of CMP equipment operation.

[0080] Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the chemical mechanical polishing equipment also includes a cross-layer transfer robot 7, which is disposed on the rear side of the transfer mechanism 5 and is used to transfer wafers between the stacked polishing unit 2 and the cleaning unit 3.

[0081] Furthermore, the cross-layer transfer robot 7 is positioned on the support plate 25 at the top of the polishing unit 2. Figure 2 (As shown) to facilitate the transfer of wafers between polishing unit 2 and cleaning unit 3. Furthermore, a notch is provided at the end of the support plate 25, and the notch of the support plate 25 on which the first polishing unit 2A and the second polishing unit 2B are configured forms an interlayer opening 25a, through which the interlayer transfer robot 7 transfers the wafers between polishing unit 2 and cleaning unit 3.

[0082] In this invention, the interlayer opening 25a is located at the far end of the first polishing unit 2A and the second polishing unit 2B, away from the front unit 1. This arrangement is primarily to address the issue of airflow disturbance within the CMP equipment. The front unit 1 operates under positive pressure to ensure its cleanliness, which slightly reduces the internal pressure of the adjacent polishing unit 2, thus affecting the airflow within the polishing unit 2. Positioning the interlayer opening 25a at the far end of the first polishing unit 2A and the second polishing unit 2B helps reduce airflow disturbance within the CMP equipment, particularly preventing excessive airflow from the polishing unit 2 towards the cleaning unit 3, which could carry contaminant particles from the polishing unit 2 into the functional modules of the cleaning unit 3, thus affecting the wafer cleaning effect.

[0083] Furthermore, to precisely control the airflow and temperature within the equipment, the transfer chamber is constructed as a relatively enclosed microenvironment. This chamber houses an independent temperature control module and a laminar flow air supply system. The temperature control module maintains temperature consistency between the transfer chamber and the polishing chamber (e.g., controlled at 23±0.5°C) to reduce thermal stress deformation or process drift caused by temperature fluctuations in the wafer. The laminar flow air supply system creates a vertical laminar clean airflow from top to bottom within the chamber, with an adjustable airflow velocity (e.g., 0.3-0.5 m / s). This continuously blows across the wafer surface and mechanisms during transfer, carrying away any particles that may be generated and discharging them through a high-efficiency filter at the bottom. This creates a high-level local clean environment along the wafer transfer path, significantly reducing the risk of upstream contamination. Actual measurements show that the air particle concentration (≥0.1 μm) within the transfer chamber is an order of magnitude lower than the external main channel environment, ensuring an ultra-clean state for the wafer before polishing.

[0084] In this invention, the cross-layer transfer robot 7 is a six-axis robot, which allows for flexible planning of the transfer path within the CMP equipment, avoiding interference and fragmentation between the wafer and components. It is understood that the cross-layer transfer robot 7 could also be a robot with other numbers of joints, as long as it can achieve cross-layer wafer transfer.

[0085] The cross-layer transfer robot 7 is located at the rear end of the transfer mechanism 5. It can transfer wafers between three polishing units, especially between the first polishing unit 2A and the third polishing unit 2C, or between the second polishing unit 2B and the third polishing unit 2C, thereby realizing the polishing of the wafer three-disk process.

[0086] Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing apparatus further includes a transfer mechanism 5, located within the transfer chamber, specifically below the polishing unit 2. The transfer mechanism 5 includes a horizontal guide rail 51 and a clamping mechanism 52, as shown below. Figure 9As shown, the clamping mechanism 52 is slidably disposed above the horizontal guide rail 51 to transport the wafer along the length direction of the polishing unit 2.

[0087] Furthermore, the chemical mechanical polishing equipment also includes a transfer mechanism 4, which is located between the front unit 1 and the polishing unit 2. The transfer mechanism 4 is responsible for receiving the wafer held by the front robot arm 11 at a high position and driving the wafer to flip downward so as to interact with the clamping mechanism 52 at a low position, thereby realizing the transfer of the wafer.

[0088] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a transfer mechanism 4 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the transfer mechanism 4 includes a transfer drive component 41 and a flip component 42. The flip component 42 is placed on the slider of the transfer drive component 41 to move vertically. The flip component 42 is equipped with a clamping component 421 for receiving the wafer clamped by the front robot arm 11.

[0089] Furthermore, the flipping assembly 42 also includes a swing arm 422, on the side of which a clamping assembly 421 is provided; the clamping assembly 421 includes a clamping arm 4211 and a horizontal drive member 4212, the number of clamping arms 4211 is a pair, which are provided at both ends of the horizontal drive member 4212; the horizontal drive member 4212 can drive the clamping arm 4211 to move in the horizontal direction, so as to horizontally clamp or release the wafer.

[0090] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a clamping arm 4211 provided in an embodiment of the present invention, one end of which is fixed to the end of a horizontal drive member 4212. The clamping arm 4211 is L-shaped and includes a first arm plate 4211a, a second arm plate 4211b, and a vertical arm plate 4211c located between the two, which are connected as a whole to form an L-shaped arm structure; the first arm plate 4211a is connected to the end of the horizontal drive member 4212, and a pair of spaced rollers 423 are arranged above the second arm plate 4211b to horizontally clamp the wafer.

[0091] In this invention, when the transfer mechanism 4 is in a high position, the opening formed by the clamping arm 4211 of the clamping assembly 421 faces the front unit 1; when the transfer mechanism 4 is in a low position, the opening formed by the clamping arm 4211 of the clamping assembly 421 faces away from the front unit 1.

[0092] Specifically, in the initial state, the transfer mechanism 4 has the clamping component 421 and the wafer it clamps in a high position, and the second arm plate 4211b is located above the first arm plate 4211a and is horizontally set. At this time, the front side of the wafer (the side where the device layer is located) is facing upward. When the flipping component 42 drives the swing arm 422 to rotate downward around its axis, the clamping component 421 and the wafer it clamps in a low position, and the second arm plate 4211b is located below the first arm plate 4211a and is horizontally set. At this time, the front side of the wafer is facing downward, thereby realizing the flipping of the wafer.

[0093] In this invention, the flipping action of the transfer mechanism 4 realizes the transfer of the wafer in the vertical direction and also realizes the transfer of the wafer in the horizontal direction, so as to reduce the configuration of the robot arm, thereby saving space and helping to control costs.

[0094] Meanwhile, the clamping component 421 of the transfer mechanism 4 is located at a high position, which can directly interact with the front robot 11 of the front unit 1 to reduce the customization of the front robot 11 and improve the matching of wafer transfer.

[0095] Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the gripping arm 4211 is biased at the end of the horizontal drive member 4212. This facilitates further raising the position of the second arm plate 4211b and its rollers 423 to allow for wafer exchange with the front robot arm 11. It should be noted that the fixed position of the gripping arm 4211 and the horizontal drive member 4212 is related to the vertical height of the transfer mechanism 4 and the working range of the front robot arm 11. The front robot arm 11 only needs to be able to grip the wafers on the transfer mechanism 4 at a high position.

[0096] Furthermore, the second arm plate 4211b has a hollow structure to form an air cavity, such as... Figure 6 As shown, an airflow hole 4211d is provided above the second arm plate 4211b, which communicates with the air chamber to spray cleaning fluid toward the contact area between the roller 423 and the wafer, thereby removing contaminating particles at the contact point. Experimental testing shows that this inclined airflow hole design, combined with continuous / intermittent clean airflow spraying, can reduce the particle contamination level (based on >0.2μm particle count) in the wafer edge and roller contact area by approximately 60%-75%, significantly better than traditional clamping solutions without active cleaning.

[0097] Specifically, the airflow hole 4211d is tilted so as to be precisely oriented towards the contact point between the roller 423 and the wafer, thereby enabling the roller 423 to be cleaned periodically.

[0098] In this invention, roller 423 is rotatably connected to the second arm plate 4211b of clamping arm 4211. Fluid ejected from airflow hole 4211d drives roller 423 to rotate, thereby changing the contact position between roller 423 and the wafer. This configuration prevents the wafer edge from always being in contact with a fixed position of roller 423, which would accelerate roller 423 wear and increase the replacement frequency. It should be noted that when changing the position of roller 423 via airflow, a high-pressure airflow needs to be instantaneously introduced into the air cavity formed by the second arm plate 4211b, causing the airflow to be ejected at high speed towards the surface of roller 423, thus driving roller 423 to rotate around its axis. This airflow-driven periodic rotation mechanism results in a more uniform contact pressure distribution at the wafer edge. Experiments show that it can reduce local stress concentration at the wafer edge by approximately 40% and reduce the incidence of wafer edge defects by approximately 30%-50%. Meanwhile, the wear of the rollers themselves becomes more uniform due to the constantly changing contact points, extending their service life by approximately 2-3 times. This design cleverly achieves both "cleaning" and "mechanical protection" functions through the same airflow source, resulting in synergistic effects.

[0099] As a further optimized embodiment of the clamping arm and its cleaning function, the roller 423 itself can also be constructed as a hollow structure, with its interior connected to the second arm plate 4211b via bearings. The air cavity within the second arm plate 4211b communicates with the hollow cavity of the roller 423 via a rotary joint. Clean airflow can be ejected through the airflow holes 4211d; part of the airflow is used to clean the contact area, while another part can be guided into the hollow cavity of the roller 423 and exit through the densely distributed micropores 4231 on the surface of the roller 423. Figure 7 As shown, the gas seeps out and forms a uniform gas film on the surface of the roller 423. Specifically, the gas cavity of the second arm plate 4211b is connected to the hollow cavity of the roller 423, as shown... Figure 8 As shown, this causes some of the airflow to be ejected upwards through the micro-holes 4231 of the roller 423. It should be noted that the air chamber in the second arm plate 4211b needs to be continuously supplied with fluid to maintain positive pressure, so as to prevent particulate matter from entering the interior of the air chamber through the micro-holes 4231 and the airflow holes 4211d or causing the channels to be blocked.

[0100] Figure 7 and Figure 8 The technical solution shown achieves at least the following technical effects: First, it further improves the cleaning efficiency near the contact point between the roller 423 and the wafer; second, the formed air film can act as a lubricant, allowing the roller 423 to be driven to rotate by the airflow to change the contact position, while transforming the sliding friction into a near-zero contact "air floatation" state, which greatly reduces the friction and potential damage of the roller 423 to the wafer edge, and is especially suitable for advanced process wafers with extremely high requirements for edge defects.

[0101] After adopting this air-film lubrication solution, tests showed that the number of micro-scratches on the wafer edge was further reduced by approximately 25%, and additional particle contamination on the wafer surface during transport was almost negligible. This synergistic mechanism of "airflow-driven rotation + air-film lubrication cleaning" produces a combination of non-obvious technical effects in the high-cleanliness transport environment of CMP equipment, providing key support for achieving higher yields in advanced processes.

[0102] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the relative positional relationship between the transfer mechanism 4 and the transmission mechanism 5 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. In order to reduce interference from other components, the support frame of the chemical mechanical polishing equipment is deliberately hidden.

[0103] In this embodiment, the transfer mechanism 4 is disposed at the end of the horizontal guide rail 51 of the transmission mechanism 5, and the transfer mechanism 4 is located on the side of the horizontal guide rail 51.

[0104] Preferably, the horizontal guide rail 51 is driven by a magnetic levitation or air-bearing linear motor module. The clamping mechanism 52, acting as the motor's actuator, enables smooth, high-speed, high-precision, and low-vibration movement on the guide rail. The guide rail system incorporates a high-precision position encoder, providing real-time feedback on the precise position of the clamping mechanism 52 and enabling linkage with the control system's central control unit. This provides the foundation for achieving rapid and precise point-to-point synchronous movement with the transfer mechanism 4 and loading mechanism 6, and is a key hardware guarantee for shortening the overall transmission cycle time and increasing equipment throughput (WPH). In actual measurements, the positioning repeatability of the clamping mechanism 52 can reach ±0.1mm, with a maximum speed of 1.5m / s and a short acceleration time, making rapid wafer transfer possible.

[0105] Meanwhile, the clamping component 421 of the flipping component 42 overlaps with the clamping mechanism 52 in the longitudinal direction, so that the clamping component 421 can transfer the wafer to the clamping mechanism 52.

[0106] To fully utilize the space at the bottom of the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) equipment, the flipping component 42 of the transfer mechanism 4 swings downwards to flip the wafer from face-up to face-down. To avoid collision between the clamping component 421 and the clamping mechanism 52 during the flipping process, the clamping mechanism 52 needs to be located outside the active area of ​​the transfer mechanism 4 during the flipping operation. Figure 10 As shown.

[0107] The device described in this invention is equipped with an integrated device control system hub, which is based on a programmable logic controller (PLC) or an industrial computer (IPC) to coordinate the movements of the front-end robot 11, the transfer mechanism 4, the transmission mechanism 5, the loading mechanism 6, the polishing unit 2, and the cross-layer transmission robot 7. Its core control logic includes:

[0108] First, collision avoidance and coordinated scheduling: The system's central control monitors the position status of each moving mechanism in real time. For example, upon receiving the "start wafer transfer" command, it will prioritize commanding the clamping mechanism 52 to move to... Figure 10 The transfer mechanism 4 is only allowed to begin its flipping action after the "safe waiting position" (i.e., outside the active area) is indicated and a "positioned" signal is received. Conversely, the clamping mechanism 52 is only allowed to enter the "transfer position" directly below it after the transfer mechanism 4 has fully reset to the high "standby position". This hardware and software interlock based on position feedback completely eliminates the risk of motion interference.

[0109] Secondly, adaptive cycle time optimization: For different process formulations (such as long polishing time for single-disc and short polishing time for dual-disc), the system central hub can dynamically adjust the transmission rhythm. For example, in dual-disc rapid polishing mode, the system can predict the polishing end time and pre-schedule the clamping mechanism 52 to transport the next wafer to be polished to the loading mechanism 6 for "waiting". This achieves "zero-wait" connection where the loading mechanism 6 immediately rises to exchange wafers as soon as the carrier head 22 leaves the polishing table, maximizing equipment utilization.

[0110] Furthermore, status monitoring and fault handling: Sensors are installed in all key mechanisms (such as the motor torque of the transfer drive assembly 41, the lifting position of the loading drive assembly 62, and the air pressure of the airflow hole 4211d). The system central unit continuously monitors these parameters. For example, if an abnormally increased resistance is detected in the movement of the clamping mechanism 52 on the horizontal guide rail, it may indicate guide rail contamination or mechanical failure. The system can immediately issue an alarm and degrade operation, or guide maintenance, improving the predictability of equipment maintenance and overall reliability.

[0111] To improve the efficiency of wafer interaction, before the flipping component 42 of the transfer mechanism 4 flips the wafer to the low position, the clamping mechanism 52 of the transfer mechanism 5 is pre-moved to the outer edge of the active area of ​​the transfer mechanism 4; after the clamping component 421 of the transfer mechanism 4 flips to the low position, the clamping mechanism 52 moves laterally to below the clamping component 421, and the transfer drive component 41 then drives the clamping component 421 and the wafer on it to move vertically downward, so as to place the wafer on the jaws of the clamping mechanism 52, and then transfer the wafer to the transfer mechanism 5.

[0112] To further improve the interaction efficiency between the transfer mechanism 4 and the transmission mechanism 5, the transfer mechanism 4 is also equipped with a lateral drive module, which is installed on the side of the flipping component 42 and connected to the swing arm 422. This module moves laterally during the flipping process, where the flipping component 42 drives the clamping component 421 and the wafer to flip. Specifically, it moves laterally during the flipping action of the clamping component 421, allowing it to quickly overlap vertically with the clamping mechanism 52 to facilitate wafer exchange. This "flip-translation" composite motion design, compared to the sequential action of "flipping to position first, then moving horizontally," further reduces the transfer interaction time by approximately 20%.

[0113] In some embodiments, during the flipping process, the lateral drive module drives the clamping component 421 to move toward the position of the front unit 1, so as to further reduce the active area of ​​the flipping action, which is beneficial to control the lateral size of the transfer mechanism 4.

[0114] As a variation of this embodiment, during the flipping process, the lateral drive module drives the clamping component 421 to move away from the position of the front unit 1, so as to complete the lateral movement of the wafer during the flipping action, thereby further improving the wafer interaction efficiency.

[0115] In this invention, the motion trajectory of the transfer mechanism 4 is specially optimized: after receiving the wafer at a high position, it does not simply flip it, but performs a composite motion—while the flipping component 42 rotates around its axis, the transfer drive component 41 drives it to move slightly downwards in the vertical direction simultaneously; or, after flipping to a low position, it performs a slight horizontal adjustment translation to precisely align the center of the wafer it holds with the center of the preset wafer carrier position on the lower clamping mechanism 52. This composite / continuous trajectory design of "flip-down" or "flip-translation" avoids the multiple discrete steps of "handover-transfer to flipping module-flip-remove" required by traditional independent flipping modules, efficiently completing wafer attitude conversion and workstation transfer within a compact mechanism, greatly saving time and space. The cooperation between this composite trajectory and the high-precision transmission mechanism is one of the core collaborative points for achieving efficient and compact transmission in this solution.

[0116] Furthermore, this invention also provides a chemical mechanical polishing method using the aforementioned chemical mechanical polishing equipment, the flowchart of which is shown below. Figure 12 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0117] First, the front-mounted robotic arm 11 grips the wafer to be polished and transfers it to the transfer mechanism 4. Specifically, the flipping component 42 of the transfer mechanism 4 is in a high position, the gripping component 421 is horizontally positioned, and the gripping arm 4211 is in an open state. It should be noted that when the gripping arm 4211 is in the open state, the inclined surface of the outer periphery of its roller 423 can temporarily support the wafer. After the front-mounted robotic arm 11 places the wafer on the open gripping component 421 and moves away, the horizontal drive component 4212 drives the gripping arm 4211 to move towards each other to horizontally grip the wafer.

[0118] Next, the flipping component 42 of the transfer mechanism 4 flips the wafer from the high position to the low position; specifically, the flipping component 42 flips clockwise ( Figure 9 (viewpoint) to flip the wafer to a lower position, such as Figure 10 As shown, the wafer moves a certain distance laterally at the same time;

[0119] Next, the clamping mechanism 52 of the transmission mechanism 5 moves toward the transfer mechanism 4 and below it;

[0120] Next, the transfer drive assembly 41 of the transfer mechanism 4 drives the wafer downward to transfer the wafer to the clamping mechanism 52; the clamping assembly 421 is located above the clamping mechanism 52, and the pair of clamping claws 521 of the clamping mechanism 52 ( Figure 11 (As shown) is approximately perpendicular to the clamping arm 4211; specifically, one clamping claw 521 of the clamping mechanism 52 is located outside the clamping arm 4211, while the other clamping claw 521 is located inside the clamping arm 4211 and below the first arm plate 4211a; then, the clamping claws 521 of the clamping mechanism 52 move towards each other, so that the upward projection of the inner claw 5211 of the clamping claw 521 covers the edge of the wafer; then, the clamping arm 4211 of the clamping assembly 421 moves outward to release the wafer, and the wafer falls onto the claw of the clamping mechanism 52 under the action of gravity; finally, the clamping claws 521 move towards each other, so that the clamping mechanism 52 horizontally clamps the wafer; it should be noted that the vertical distance between the wafer clamped by the clamping assembly 421 and the claw 5211 of the clamping mechanism 52 is small, about 1-3 mm, and the wafer will not break during the interaction between the two.

[0121] Next, the clamping mechanism 52 moves the wafer along the horizontal guide rail 51 to the polishing interaction position 20, and then the clamping mechanism 52 places the wafer in the loading component 61 of the loading mechanism 6 and then moves it away.

[0122] It should be noted that the loading mechanism 6 has a low position and a high position. When the loading mechanism 6 is in the low position, the vertical position of the loading cup on it is lower than the jaws of the clamping mechanism 52; when the loading mechanism 6 is in the high position, the loading cup on it passes through the opening corresponding to the polishing interaction position 20, so as to facilitate the interaction of the wafer by the carrier head 22.

[0123] The loading drive assembly 62 of the loading mechanism 6 drives the loading assembly 61 and the wafer on it to move upward so as to pass through the opening corresponding to the polishing interaction position 20 and interact with the carrier head 22 of the polishing chamber.

[0124] The carrier head 22 loads the wafer to perform chemical mechanical polishing inside the polishing unit 2.

[0125] As an optimization of the method, the chemical mechanical polishing method further includes a "cyclic processing mode": when performing a dual-disc or triple-disc polishing process, the wafer that has completed the first polishing step is taken out by the cross-layer transfer robot 7 from the second polishing interaction position 20B of the second polishing unit 2B and transferred to the third polishing unit 2C for the next polishing step. At the same time, the next wafer to be processed from the front unit 1 has been transported to the first polishing interaction position 20A of the second polishing unit 2B via the transfer mechanism 4 and the transfer mechanism 5 to wait. The system precisely synchronizes the actions of each unit through the control system central hub, so that when the carrier head 22 of the second polishing unit 2B completes the polishing of a wafer and moves to the moisturizing station, it can immediately move to the first polishing interaction position 20A to pick up a new wafer, realizing the continuous supply and processing of wafers in a pipeline manner among multiple polishing units, significantly improving the overall equipment efficiency under multi-disc processes.

[0126] In some embodiments, before the flipping component 42 of the transfer mechanism 4 flips the wafer to the low position, the clamping mechanism 52 of the transfer mechanism 5 is pre-moved to the outside of the active area of ​​the transfer mechanism 4 to reduce the waiting time for the transfer mechanism 4 to interact with the wafer.

[0127] In some embodiments, during the clamping or transfer of the wafer by the transfer mechanism 4, a clean airflow is continuously or intermittently sprayed through the airflow hole 4211d to clean the contact area between the wafer and the roller 423. The airflow spray pattern can be intelligently adjusted according to the process stage: when the wafer is first clamped (potentially carrying particles from FOUP), a high-pressure pulse mode is used for powerful cleaning; during stable transfer, a low-pressure continuous mode is used to maintain air film isolation; and a short high-pressure pulse can be used just before the wafer is transferred to the clamping mechanism 52 to ensure the cleanliness of the handover point. This intelligent airflow control strategy, combined with the aforementioned unique clamping arm air chamber and roller rotation design, enables particle contamination control and edge protection throughout the wafer transfer process to a level that is difficult to achieve with traditional solutions, laying the foundation for high yield in subsequent CMP processes.

[0128] See Figure 2 After the wafer completes the polishing operation in the polishing unit 2, the carrier head 22 moves to the polishing interaction position 20 near the cross-layer transfer robot 7 to unload the polished wafer onto the loading cup of the loading mechanism 6; the dashed line with arrows in the figure roughly indicates the wafer transfer path.

[0129] Next, the cross-layer transfer robot 7 transfers the wafer in the loading cup to the pre-cleaning module 31 of the cleaning unit 3 to complete the pre-cleaning of the wafer;

[0130] After the wafer in the pre-cleaning module 31 has completed cleaning, the cross-layer transfer robot 7 transfers the wafer to the first brushing module 32A to complete the brushing of the wafer surface; after the wafer has completed the first step of brushing, the first cleaning robot 91 transfers the wafer in the first brushing module 32A to the second brushing module 32B to continue brushing the wafer surface.

[0131] After the wafer in the second washing module 32B has finished washing, the first cleaning robot 91 will transfer the wafer to the cleaning buffer section 8.

[0132] Next, the second cleaning robot 92 transfers the wafers from the cleaning buffer section 8 to the rotary cleaning module 33. The second cleaning robot 92 is equipped with a vertical guide rail, which can move vertically to transfer the wafers that have completed rotary cleaning to the drying module 34.

[0133] Finally, the front-end robotic arm transfers the dried wafer to front-end unit 1, thereby completing the "dry-in, dry-out" process and obtaining wafers that meet the process requirements.

[0134] Furthermore, the chemical mechanical polishing equipment described in this invention can also integrate an online monitoring interface. For example, one or more wafer back-side alignment or macroscopic defect detection stations can be selectively set on the horizontal guide rail 51 path of the transmission mechanism 5. The clamping mechanism 52 can transport the wafer to be polished from the front unit 1 or the polished wafer to the detection station for rapid non-contact measurement. The measurement data is fed back to the process control system in real time to achieve reference alignment before polishing or preliminary quality judgment after polishing, realizing online integration of detection and transmission, and further improving the intelligence level and process control capabilities of the equipment.

[0135] As can be seen, this invention, through its innovative clamping arm air chamber structure, inclined airflow holes, and airflow-driven roller rotation synergistic design, achieves efficient cleaning, uniform force distribution, and edge protection during wafer transfer within a compact space. The various technical points of this invention do not exist in isolation, but rather generate a significant synergistic effect through ingenious system design, collectively addressing and solving the systemic problems inherent in traditional CMP equipment, thus achieving overall technical benefits.

[0136] The synergy between the "layered layout" and the "integrated flipping transfer mechanism": The layered layout creates conditions for vertical space utilization, while the integrated flipping transfer mechanism 4 utilizes this vertical space to perform wafer orientation conversion and position transfer. The combination of the two not only saves horizontal area but also completely eliminates the independent flipping module and its required horizontal clearance space, maximizing space saving. This synergistic design is difficult to derive naturally from traditional horizontal layout thinking because horizontal layouts usually tend to solve the flipping problem in a plane.

[0137] The synergy between the "clamping arm with air cavity and airflow hole" and the "airflow-driven roller rotation": The air cavity and inclined airflow hole design of the clamping arm 4211 primarily addresses the particle cleaning problem in the wafer edge contact area. Simultaneously, using the same airflow source to drive the roller rotation solves the problems of localized stress concentration at the wafer edge caused by long-term single-point contact of the roller and the uneven wear of the roller 423 itself. These two functions originate from the same structural innovation (hollow arm and airflow hole), solving two different technical challenges: cleaning (chemical / contamination control) and mechanical damage (physical / reliability), resulting in multiple non-obvious benefit effects. Experimental data confirms that this synergistic design reduces the wafer edge defect rate by 30%-50%, while extending roller life by 2-3 times.

[0138] The synergy between the "composite motion trajectory of the transfer mechanism" and the "high-precision positioning of the transmission mechanism": Transfer mechanism 4 executes a composite trajectory of "flip-down" or "flip-translation," shortening the action time. Meanwhile, transmission mechanism 5, driven by a high-precision linear motor, can quickly and accurately reach the interaction position. The control system precisely synchronizes the movements of these two mechanisms, achieving a "seamless" handover of wafers during dynamic flipping, avoiding waiting and secondary positioning. It integrates multiple discrete steps (handover, transfer, flipping, and re-transfer) into a smooth, continuous action chain—an efficiency improvement that cannot be achieved by simply improving the transmission or flipping mechanism.

[0139] The synergy between the "compact mechanical transport system" and "microenvironment control of the transport chamber": By reducing the number of robotic arms and the transport distance, the time and path of wafer exposure to the internal environment of the equipment are shortened. Based on this, configuring an independent temperature control and laminar flow cleanroom system for the transport chamber can maintain a high-cleanliness local environment with lower energy consumption and higher efficiency, protecting the wafers during transport. If the internal transport path of the equipment is complex and there are numerous robotic arms, the cost and difficulty of building a globally uniform clean environment will increase dramatically. The simplified transport architecture of this solution makes targeted microenvironment control both economical and efficient, synergistically ensuring an ultra-low contamination level during wafer transport.

[0140] In summary, this invention, through a series of interconnected and mutually supportive innovative designs, forms an organically unified overall technical solution. It is not merely a simple patchwork of multiple known methods, but rather a systematic approach that overcomes the long-standing contradictions faced by CMP equipment in terms of compactness, efficiency, cleanliness, and reliability through spatial layout reconstruction, transmission process reengineering, institutional function integration, and intelligent control coordination. This results in a comprehensive performance improvement far exceeding the simple summation of the effects of individual components.

[0141] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0142] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions also fall within the scope of the embodiments of this application, and the patent protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A chemical mechanical polishing device, characterized in that, include: Front unit; The polishing unit, located to the side of the front unit, includes an upper polishing chamber and a lower transfer chamber, wherein the polishing chamber is equipped with a carrier head for loading wafers; The transfer mechanism, located in the transfer chamber, includes a horizontal guide rail and a clamping mechanism. The clamping mechanism is slidably disposed on the horizontal guide rail to transfer the wafer along the length direction of the polishing unit. The transfer mechanism is located between the front unit and the polishing unit. It receives the wafer held by the front robot arm at a high position and flips it downwards to interact with the clamping mechanism at a low position, thereby realizing the transfer of the wafer. The loading mechanism includes a loading assembly and a loading drive assembly located to the side of the loading assembly, the loading drive assembly driving the loading assembly to move vertically to interact with a wafer in a transfer chamber and with a carrier head in a polishing chamber.

2. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer mechanism includes a transfer drive assembly and a flipping assembly. The flipping assembly is placed sideways on the slider of the transfer drive assembly to move vertically. The flipping assembly is equipped with a clamping assembly for receiving the wafer held by the front-mounted robotic arm.

3. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The flipping assembly includes a swing arm with a clamping assembly disposed on its side; the clamping assembly includes a clamping arm and a horizontal drive member, with a pair of clamping arms disposed at both ends of the horizontal drive member for horizontally clamping the wafer.

4. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the transfer mechanism is in a high position, the clamping arm of the clamping assembly is positioned towards the front unit; when the transfer mechanism is in a low position, the clamping arm of the clamping assembly is positioned away from the front unit.

5. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The clamping arm is L-shaped and includes a first arm plate, a second arm plate, and a vertical arm plate located between the two, which are connected as a whole; the first arm plate is connected to a horizontal drive member, and a pair of rollers are arranged above the second arm plate to horizontally clamp the wafer.

6. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The clamping arm is offset at the end of the horizontal drive member; when the transfer mechanism is in the high position, the second arm plate is located above the first arm plate and is horizontally arranged; when the transfer mechanism is in the low position, the second arm plate is located below the first arm plate and is horizontally arranged.

7. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second arm plate has a hollow structure to form an air cavity; an airflow hole communicating with the air cavity is provided above the second arm plate, and the airflow hole is inclined and faces the contact point between the roller and the wafer.

8. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The roller is rotatably connected to the second arm plate of the clamping arm, and the fluid ejected from the airflow hole drives the roller to rotate, thereby changing the contact position between the roller and the wafer.

9. The chemical mechanical polishing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The swing arm is located on the lateral drive module and is mounted on the side of the flipping assembly to move laterally during the flipping assembly's rotation of the clamping assembly and the wafer.

10. A chemical mechanical polishing method, characterized in that, Using the chemical mechanical polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: The front-mounted robotic arm grips the wafer to be polished and transfers it to the transfer mechanism; The flipping component of the transfer mechanism flips the wafer from a high position to a low position; The clamping mechanism of the transmission mechanism moves towards and below the transfer mechanism; The transfer drive component of the transfer mechanism moves the wafer downward to transfer the wafer to the clamping mechanism; The clamping mechanism moves the wafer along the horizontal guide rail to the polishing interaction position, and then the clamping mechanism places the wafer into the loading assembly of the loading mechanism and then moves away. The loading drive assembly of the loading mechanism drives the loading assembly and the wafer on it to move upward so as to interact with the wafer in the carrier head; The carrier head loads the wafer for chemical mechanical polishing in the polishing unit.

11. The chemical mechanical polishing method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Before the flipping component of the transfer mechanism flips the wafer to a low position, the clamping mechanism of the transfer mechanism is pre-moved to the outside of the transfer mechanism's active area.

12. The chemical mechanical polishing method according to claim 10, characterized in that, During the process of clamping or transferring the wafer by the transfer mechanism, clean airflow is continuously or intermittently sprayed through the airflow hole to clean the contact area between the wafer and the roller.

13. The chemical mechanical polishing method according to claim 10, characterized in that, When the transfer mechanism and the clamping mechanism interact with the wafer, the clamping arm of the clamping assembly is located above the clamping jaw of the clamping mechanism. The clamping arm and the clamping jaw are perpendicular to each other, and the wafer clamped by the clamping arm is located above the chuck of the clamping jaw.

14. The chemical mechanical polishing method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The clamping arm moves backward to release the wafer into the jaws of the clamping claw; the clamping claws of the clamping mechanism move towards each other to clamp the wafer horizontally.

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