Grinding pad regulator and grinding equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductors, and provides a grinding pad adjuster and grinding equipment, and the grinding pad adjuster comprises a shell assembly, an adjusting shaft, an air supply assembly and an air pressure detection piece. The shell assembly is provided with a sealing cavity, the first axial end of the adjusting shaft extends into the sealing cavity in a sliding mode in the axial direction, and the second axial end of the adjusting shaft is located outside the sealing cavity. The air outlet end of the air supply assembly is communicated with the sealing cavity, the shell assembly is provided with an air pressure detection hole communicated with the sealing cavity, and the air pressure detection hole is connected with the air pressure detection piece. According to the grinding pad regulator, the air pressure of the sealing cavity is detected by utilizing the actuation principle of ventilation and pressure maintaining of the sealing cavity, and then whether the end effector falls off or not is judged, so that the phenomenon that the grinding pad regulator executes finishing operation when the end effector falls off is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductors, and particularly relates to a polishing pad regulator and a polishing device. Background Art

[0002] Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) is a technology for global surface planarization. It uses chemical oxidation and mechanical polishing to remove the surface material of a device so that the device surface reaches a high flatness.

[0003] Chemical Mechanical Polishing is widely used in the process of selectively removing materials in semiconductor manufacturing. Existing Chemical Mechanical Polishing devices generally include: a polishing table, a polishing pad, a polishing head, and a polishing pad regulator. The polishing pad is arranged on the polishing table, the polishing head is arranged on a polishing frame, and the polishing head is used for adsorbing a device to be polished and moving relative to the polishing pad to achieve surface planarization of the device to be polished; the polishing pad regulator is used for trimming the polishing pad, and its purpose is to restore the polishing pad to a rough value state with activity, remove the by-products generated on the polishing pad during the polishing process and part of the polishing pad material, and be able to create a new rough surface to maintain the consistency efficiency of the polishing process. Therefore, the polishing pad regulator can extend the service life of the polishing pad and reduce the replacement frequency of the polishing pad to achieve mass production and cost savings.

[0004] The polishing pad regulator realizes trimming of the polishing pad through an end effector. During the trimming process, the end effector will be driven to press down on the polishing pad. During long-term use, it is easy to cause the end effector to loosen or even fall off. Existing polishing pad regulators cannot detect whether the end effector has fallen off. Therefore, in the case where the end effector has fallen off, the polishing pad regulator may still perform a trimming operation, resulting in damage to the polishing pad regulator and the polishing pad.

[0005] Therefore, based on the above technical problems, a polishing pad regulator is needed to realize detection of the falling off of the end effector. Summary of the Utility Model

[0006] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a polishing pad regulator and a polishing device, and the regulator is equipped with a function for detecting the falling off of the end effector to avoid the phenomenon that the polishing pad regulator performs a trimming operation when the end effector falls off.

[0007] The utility model provides a polishing pad regulator, including: a housing assembly, an adjusting shaft, a gas supply component, and a pressure detection component;

[0008] The housing assembly has a sealed cavity, the first axial end of the adjusting shaft extends into the sealed cavity along the axial direction in a sliding manner, and the second axial end of the adjusting shaft is located outside the sealed cavity;

[0009] The air outlet end of the air supply component is communicated with the sealing cavity. An air pressure detection hole communicated with the sealing cavity is formed in the housing assembly, and the air pressure detection hole is connected with the air pressure detection component.

[0010] Optionally, the housing assembly includes a housing, a connection component arranged in the housing, and an elastic sealing ring. The adjusting shaft is axially slidably matched with the housing. The connection component is hermetically connected to the first axial end of the elastic sealing ring, and the adjusting shaft is hermetically connected to the second axial end of the elastic sealing ring. The connection component, the elastic sealing ring, and the adjusting shaft enclose to form the sealing cavity.

[0011] Optionally, the polishing pad adjuster further includes an elastic member, and the elastic member is arranged on the housing assembly to provide an elastic force for the adjusting shaft to axially slide into the sealing cavity.

[0012] Optionally, the connection component includes an annular first connection member and an annular second connection member. The first connection member and the second connection member are arranged along the axial direction. The first axial end of the elastic sealing ring extends radially and is hermetically clamped between the first connection member and the second connection member.

[0013] Optionally, the adjusting shaft includes a shaft body and a shaft cover. The shaft cover is connected to the shaft body, and the second axial end of the elastic sealing ring is hermetically clamped between the shaft body and the shaft cover.

[0014] Optionally, the connection component further includes a sealing cover. The sealing cover hermetically covers one end of the first connection member axially away from the second connection member. The sealing cover, the first connection member, the elastic sealing ring, and the shaft cover enclose to form the sealing cavity.

[0015] Optionally, the air pressure detection hole is formed in the sealing cover.

[0016] Optionally, an air cavity is formed in the adjusting shaft. The air cavity penetrates through the first axial end of the adjusting shaft, and the air outlet end of the air supply component extends into the air cavity.

[0017] Optionally, the polishing pad adjuster further includes a swinging member. The swinging member is arranged to be swingable when driven. The housing assembly is arranged on the swinging member. The swinging member has an installation cavity, and the air pressure detection component is arranged in the installation cavity.

[0018] The present utility model also discloses a polishing device, and the polishing device includes the above-mentioned polishing pad adjuster.

[0019] With such a configuration, the above-mentioned polishing pad regulator drives the axial movement of the end effector by introducing high-pressure gas into the sealing cavity. When high-pressure gas is introduced into the sealing cavity, the air pressure inside its cavity increases, and logically, the pressure value detected by the air pressure detection component should become larger. If the adjustment shaft drops (i.e., the end effector drops), the sealing performance of the sealing cavity is damaged, and the sealing cavity communicates with the outside. At this time, the pressure value detected by the air pressure detection component remains unchanged, and it is determined that the end effector has dropped. The present utility model utilizes the actuation principle of air pressure maintenance in the sealing cavity to detect the air pressure in the sealing cavity, and then determines whether there is a situation where the end effector drops, so as to avoid the phenomenon that the polishing pad regulator performs a trimming operation when the end effector drops. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 Structural schematic of a polishing pad regulator according to an embodiment of the present utility model Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 2 Structural schematic of a polishing pad regulator according to an embodiment of the present utility model Figure 2 ;

[0022] Figure 3 Structural schematic of a polishing pad regulator according to an embodiment of the present utility model Figure 3 .

[0023] Among them, in the drawings:

[0024] 10 - housing assembly; 101 - sealing cavity; 102 - air pressure detection hole; 11 - housing; 111 - annular protrusion; 12 - connection assembly; 121 - first connection member; 122 - second connection member; 1221 - upper pressing ring; 123 - sealing cover; 13 - elastic sealing ring;

[0025] 20 - adjustment shaft; 21 - shaft body; 22 - shaft cover; 23 - air cavity;

[0026] 30 - adjustment disc;

[0027] 40 - air supply assembly;

[0028] 50 - air pressure detection component;

[0029] 60 - elastic member;

[0030] 70 - swinging member;

[0031] 80 - swinging seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0032] The following further elaborates on the polishing pad adjuster proposed by the present utility model in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. According to the following description, the advantages and features of the present utility model will be clearer. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise scales, only for conveniently and clearly assisting in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present utility model.

[0033] As used in the present utility model, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural objects. The term "or" is generally used in the sense of including "and / or". The term "several" is generally used in the sense of including "at least one". The term "at least two" or "multiple" is generally used in the sense of including "two or more". In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", "third" may explicitly or implicitly include one or at least two of such features. In addition, as used in the present utility model, "mounted", "connected", "coupled", an element "disposed" on another element should be understood in a broad sense, generally only indicating that there is a connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission relationship between the two elements, and the two elements can be directly or indirectly connected, coupled, cooperated or transmitted through an intermediate element, rather than being construed as indicating or implying the spatial position relationship between the two elements, that is, an element can be in any position such as inside, outside, above, below or on one side of another element, unless otherwise explicitly stated in the content. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood according to specific circumstances. In addition, directional terms such as above, below, up, down, upward, downward, left, right, etc. are used with respect to the exemplary embodiments as shown in the figures, and the upward or upper direction faces the top of the corresponding figure, and the downward or lower direction faces the bottom of the corresponding figure.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 1 As shown, the polishing pad adjuster includes a housing assembly 10, an adjusting shaft 20, an adjusting disk 30, a gas supply assembly 40, and a pressure detection member 50.

[0035] The housing assembly 10 has a sealing cavity 101. The axial first end of the adjusting shaft 20 extends axially and slides into the sealing cavity 101, and the axial second end of the adjusting shaft 20 is located outside the sealing cavity 101 and is connected to the adjusting disk 30. The adjusting shaft 20 and the adjusting disk 30 constitute an end effector. If the adjusting shaft 20 comes off, it means the end effector comes off.

[0036] The air outlet end of the air supply assembly 40 communicates with the sealing cavity 101. An air pressure detection hole 102 communicating with the sealing cavity 101 is formed in the housing assembly 10, and the air pressure detection hole 102 is connected to the air pressure detection member 50 through a pipeline.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1 , the air supply assembly 40 is of a bent pipe structure. One end of it is sealed and extends into the sealing cavity 101 as the air outlet end, and the other end is in a joint shape for externally connecting an external high-pressure air supply device. The air supply assembly 40 is used to supply high-pressure gas into the sealing cavity 101 to drive the adjusting shaft 20 to move axially downward along Figure 1 so as to adjust the position of the adjusting disc 30.

[0038] The lower surface of the adjusting disc 30 constitutes a dressing surface, and the dressing surface is composed of abrasive grains (such as diamond particles). The adjusting disc 30 can be driven to rotate. For example, it can rotate together with the housing assembly 10 or rotate with the adjusting shaft 20. The driving mode of the rotation of the adjusting disc 30 is consistent with that of the existing grinding pad regulator. The air supply assembly 40 adjusts the air pressure in the sealing cavity 101, and then adjusts the position of the adjusting shaft 20, so that the dressing surface of the adjusting disc 30 presses on the grinding pad according to the set pressure, realizing the dressing of the grinding pad.

[0039] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 , the air pressure detection member 50 is located outside the housing assembly 10, and the air pressure detection member 50 can be an existing pressure sensor. When high-pressure gas is introduced into the sealing cavity 101, the air pressure in its inner cavity increases, and the pressure value detected by the air pressure detection member 50 should become larger. If the adjusting shaft 20 drops (i.e., the end effector drops), the sealing performance of the sealing cavity 101 is damaged, and the sealing cavity 101 communicates with the outside. Therefore, at this time, if the pressure value detected by the air pressure detection member 50 remains unchanged, it is determined that the end effector has dropped. By using the operating principle of air supply and pressure maintenance of the sealing cavity 101, the air pressure of the sealing cavity is detected, and then it is judged whether there is a situation where the end effector drops.

[0040] The circuit of the air pressure detection member 50 is connected to the spare IO point of the machine tool. The air pressure detection member 50 is set by using the parameters of the machine tool, and the machine tool can be stopped in time when an abnormality is detected to avoid the expansion of the influence. The air pressure detection member 50 can also be combined with the existing system (such as the FDC system) for daily monitoring and management.

[0041] In addition, the air pressure detection component 50 can also be connected to an alarm. The alarm is used to issue a warning, such as an audible / visible alarm or other warning formed by an audio tone, a visual signal, or a tactile feedback; for example, the alarm can be an alarm light that alarms by flashing, or the alarm can be a buzzer that alarms by emitting a sound. The alarm can also be a warning sign integrated into the display interface. When the air pressure detection component 50 detects an abnormality (the end effector drops), an alarm is realized through the alarm.

[0042] Furthermore, the grinding pad regulator further includes an elastic member 60. The elastic member 60 is disposed in the housing assembly 10 to provide an elastic force for the adjusting shaft 20 to axially slide into the sealing cavity 101.

[0043] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 as shown, where the elastic member 60 is built into the sealing cavity 101. One end of it abuts against the top of the sealing cavity 101, and the other end is connected to the adjusting shaft 20 to provide an elastic force for the adjusting shaft 20 to reset upward along Figure 1 the upward direction.

[0044] In this embodiment, the elastic member 60 is a cylindrical helical spring and is built into the sealing cavity 101. In other alternative embodiments, the elastic member 60 can be a reed or other known elastic structures. In addition, the elastic member 60 can also be disposed outside the sealing cavity 101, as long as it can provide an elastic force for the adjusting shaft 20 to reset.

[0045] Furthermore, please refer to Figure 2 as shown, the grinding pad regulator further includes a swinging member 70. The swinging member 70 has a straight-arm structure and is mounted on a swinging seat 80. The swinging member 70 can be driven to swing by a motor built into the swinging seat 80. The housing assembly 10 is disposed on the swinging member 70. Therefore, when the swinging member 70 is driven to swing, the positions of the housing assembly 10 and the adjusting disc 30 can be adjusted to realize the adjustment of the grinding pad dressing position. In addition, the swinging member 70 has a mounting cavity, and the air pressure detection component 50 is disposed in the mounting cavity. The air pressure detection component 50 can be a micro gas pressure sensor to reduce the volume occupation. The air pressure detection component 50 is built into the swinging member 70 to ensure a high integration degree.

[0046] The swinging member 70 can be formed by buckling two half-type structures, and then enclose to form a mounting cavity. The swinging member 70 can be consistent with the structure of the existing grinding pad regulator, which will not be elaborated here.

[0047] Please refer to Figure 3 as shown, the housing assembly 10 includes a housing 11, a connection component 12 disposed in the housing 11, and an elastic sealing ring 13.

[0048] The housing 11 has an annular structure. The first end of the adjusting shaft 20 ( Figure 1 the upper end of the adjusting shaft 20 in Figure 1 ) passes through the bottom of the housing 11 and extends into the housing 11, and the adjusting shaft 20 is axially slidably engaged with the housing 11.

[0049] In this embodiment, the elastic sealing ring 13 is made of an elastomer, such as rubber. In other alternative embodiments, the elastic sealing ring 13 can be made of other known elastic materials.

[0050] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 As shown, the elastic sealing ring 13 has an annular structure. The first axial end of the elastic sealing ring 13 ( Figure 3 the upper end of the elastic sealing ring 13 in Figure 3 ) extends radially outward to form an upper sealing edge, and the second axial end of the elastic sealing ring 13 ( Figure 3 the lower end of the elastic sealing ring 13 in Figure 3 ) bends inward and then extends radially inward to form a lower sealing edge.

[0051] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 As shown, the connecting assembly 12 includes an annular first connecting member 121 and an annular second connecting member 122. The first connecting member 121 and the second connecting member 122 are coaxially arranged with the housing 11, and the first connecting member 121 and the second connecting member 122 are arranged axially. The first connecting member 121 is located Figure 3 above the second connecting member 122 in Figure 3 . The inner cavity of the second connecting member 122 is a stepped cavity with a larger upper diameter and a smaller lower diameter. The lower end of the first connecting member 121 extends into the large-diameter cavity of the second connecting member 122, and the two can be threadedly engaged. The elastic sealing ring 13 is coaxially arranged with the first connecting member 121 and the second connecting member 122. The upper sealing edge of the first axial end of the elastic sealing ring 13 ( Figure 3 the upper end of the elastic sealing ring 13 in Figure 3 ) is clamped between the lower end of the first connecting member 121 and the shoulder surface of the second connecting member 122.

[0052] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 As shown,

[0053] The adjusting shaft 20 includes a shaft body 21 and a shaft cover 22. The shaft cover 22 is connected to the shaft body 21. In this embodiment, the shaft cover 22 has an annular structure. The upper part of the shaft body 21 is a stepped shaft with a smaller upper diameter and a larger lower diameter. The shaft cover 22 is sleeved on the small-diameter section at the upper end of the shaft body 21, and the shaft cover 22 and the shaft body 21 can be threadedly connected. The elastic sealing ring 13 is coaxially arranged with the shaft body 21 and the shaft cover 22. The lower sealing edge of the second axial end of the elastic sealing ring 13 ( Figure 3 the lower end of the elastic sealing ring 13 in Figure 3 ) is hermetically clamped between the shoulder surface of the shaft body 21 and the lower end of the shaft cover 22.

[0054] Please continue to refer to Figure 3As shown, the connecting component 12 further includes a sealing cover 123, and the sealing cover 123 seals one end of the first connecting member 121 axially away from the second connecting member 122 ( Figure 3 the upper end of the first connecting member 121 in Figure 3 ), and the air pressure detection hole 102 is opened in the sealing cover 123.

[0055] Therefore, through the cooperation of the above structures, the sealing cover 123, the first connecting member 121, the elastic sealing ring 13, the shaft cover 22 and the shaft body 21 enclose to form the sealing cavity 101. The shaft cover 22, as the upper end of the adjusting shaft 20, is located in the sealing cavity 101.

[0056] The elastic sealing ring 13 can be elastically deformed. On the one hand, it is convenient to form a sealed connection structure with the connecting component 12 and the adjusting shaft 20. On the other hand, through the elastic deformation of the elastic sealing ring 13, a floating structure can be formed for the adjusting shaft 20 in the axial direction. When the air supply component 40 supplies high-pressure gas into the sealing cavity 101, the volume in the sealing cavity 101 becomes larger, and the sealing cavity 101 has a tendency to expand, thereby driving the adjusting shaft 20 to move axially downward relative to the housing 11. At this time, the sealing cavity 101 becomes larger. Since the adjusting shaft 20 is connected to the lower sealing edge of the elastic sealing ring 13, during the axial downward movement of the adjusting shaft 20, the lower sealing edge of the elastic sealing ring 13 will be involved. The elastic deformation of the elastic sealing ring 13 itself provides an upward pulling force for the adjusting shaft 20, thereby limiting the axial stroke of the adjusting shaft 20.

[0057] In addition, the bent structure at the lower end of the elastic sealing ring 13 makes the entire elastic sealing ring 13 a folded structure, which is also beneficial to the axial deformation of the elastic sealing ring 13 to ensure that the axial stroke of the adjusting shaft 20 is sufficient.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the inner cavity bottom of the housing 11 has an annular protrusion 111, and the second connecting member 122 is sleeved inside the annular protrusion 111, and the two can be threadedly connected to realize the fixation of the second connecting member 122 and the housing 11. The upper end of the second connecting member 122 extends radially outward to form an upper pressing ring 1221, and the upper pressing ring 1221 abuts against the upper end of the housing 11. The installation stability of the second connecting member 122 is ensured through the above structure. In other alternative embodiments, the second connecting member 122 can also be connected by welding or other known connection methods.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 3As shown, at the bottom of its lower sealing edge, the lower end of the elastic sealing ring 13 has an annular sealing projection. Similarly, at the bottom of its upper sealing edge, the upper end of the elastic sealing ring 13 has an annular sealing projection. Correspondingly, an annular groove is provided on the shoulder surface of the second connecting member 122 to accommodate the annular projection of the lower sealing edge, and an annular groove is provided on the shoulder surface of the shaft body 21 to accommodate the annular projection of the upper sealing edge. In other alternative embodiments, the overall structure of the elastic sealing ring 13 can adopt other known annular sealing structures.

[0060] In this embodiment, the sealing cover 123 and the first connecting member 121 can be threadedly and sealingly connected. In other alternative embodiments, the sealing cover 123 and the first connecting member 121 can also be connected by other known detachable sealing connection methods.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 3 As shown, the air outlet end of the air supply assembly 40 is sealingly passed through the sealing cover 123 and enters the sealing cavity 101. An air cavity 23 is provided inside the adjusting shaft 20, and the air cavity 23 penetrates through the axial first end of the adjusting shaft 20 ( Figure 3 the upper end of the adjusting shaft 20 in the figure), and the air outlet end of the air supply assembly 40 extends into the air cavity 23.

[0062] This embodiment also provides a grinding device, which is equipped with the above-mentioned grinding pad adjuster. At the same time, the grinding device also includes a grinding cavity, a grinding table, a grinding pad, a grinding head, and a grinding frame. The grinding pad is arranged on the grinding table, and the grinding head is arranged on the grinding frame. Among them, the grinding table, the grinding pad, the grinding head, and the grinding frame are all arranged in the grinding cavity. The improvement of the above grinding device lies in the improvement of the grinding pad adjuster, and the other components are the same as the existing components, which will not be elaborated here.

[0063] In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner. The key point of each embodiment is to illustrate the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts among the embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0064] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Any changes and modifications made by those of ordinary skill in the art of the present invention based on the above disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A polishing pad conditioner, characterized in that: include: Housing assembly, adjustment shaft, air supply assembly and air pressure detection component; The housing assembly is provided with a sealing cavity, the axial first end of the adjusting shaft slides axially into the sealing cavity, and the axial second end of the adjusting shaft is located outside the sealing cavity; The air outlet end of the air supply component is communicated with the sealed cavity, and an air pressure detection hole communicated with the sealed cavity is provided on the shell assembly, and the air pressure detection hole is connected to the air pressure detection member.

2. The polishing pad conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The housing assembly includes a shell, a connecting component and an elastic sealing ring arranged in the shell, the adjusting shaft is axially slidably matched with the shell, the connecting component is sealingly connected to the axial first end of the elastic sealing ring, the adjusting shaft is sealingly connected to the axial second end of the elastic sealing ring, and the connecting component, the elastic sealing ring and the adjusting shaft together form the sealing cavity.

3. The polishing pad conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The grinding pad adjuster also includes an elastic member, which is arranged on the housing assembly and is used to provide an elastic force for the adjusting shaft to slide axially into the sealing cavity.

4. The polishing pad conditioner according to claim 2, wherein: The connecting assembly includes an annular first connecting member and an annular second connecting member, the first connecting member and the second connecting member are arranged axially, and the axial first end of the elastic sealing ring extends radially and is sealed and clamped between the first connecting member and the second connecting member.

5. The polishing pad conditioner according to claim 4, wherein: The adjusting shaft comprises a shaft body and a shaft cover, wherein the shaft cover is connected to the shaft body, and the axial second end of the elastic sealing ring is sealed and clamped between the shaft body and the shaft cover.

6. The polishing pad conditioner according to claim 5, wherein: The connection assembly also includes a sealing cover, which seals an end of the first connection member axially away from the second connection member. The sealing cover, the first connection member, the elastic sealing ring, the shaft cover and the shaft body together form the sealing cavity.

7. The polishing pad conditioner according to claim 6, wherein: The air pressure detection hole is opened in the sealing cover.

8. The polishing pad conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The adjusting shaft has an air cavity therein, the air cavity passes through the first axial end of the adjusting shaft, and the air outlet end of the air supply component extends into the air cavity.

9. The polishing pad conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: The grinding pad regulator also includes a swinging member, which can be driven to swing, the housing assembly is arranged on the swinging member, the swinging member has a mounting cavity, and the air pressure detection member is arranged in the mounting cavity.

10. A grinding device, characterized in that: The polishing apparatus comprises the polishing pad conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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