Tool

Abstract

The utility model provides a tool which comprises a fixing frame and a tool frame, the fixing frame comprises a fixing frame body and a plurality of first connecting pieces, the structure of the fixing frame body is matched with that of a polishing disc, and the first connecting pieces are arranged on the top surface of the fixing frame body and provided with extending parts extending towards the inner side; the fixing frame body is hung on the polishing disc through the extending part, a plurality of positions of the side wall of the fixing frame body protrude outwards to form a plurality of second connecting parts, and the second connecting parts are partially or completely enclosed to form a containing cavity; the tool rack comprises a tool rack body and a supporting frame, the tool rack body can be assembled in the containing cavity, and the supporting frame extends out of the tool rack body and is used for bearing the polishing pad. The tool can be flexibly disassembled, semi-standardization of the prevention and maintenance process is achieved, the rework rate can be reduced, and the chemical mechanical planarization process level is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a tool for preventive maintenance of polishing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the wafer manufacturing process, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a key process for achieving global planarization of wafers. It refers to the efficient removal of excess material on the wafer surface and global nanoscale planarization through the synergistic effect of chemical etching and mechanical polishing. It is a necessary key process for the front-end processes of advanced integrated circuit manufacturing and advanced packaging.

[0003] Due to the nature of the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process, CMP equipment requires preventive maintenance (PM), including periodic replacement of process consumables such as polishing heads, polishing pads, dressing disks, and polishing slurry. Stable consumable specifications and preventive maintenance procedures are crucial for maintaining the stability of the CMP process.

[0004] The polishing pad is attached to the polishing pad of the machine by the adhesive on its back. Polishing pads are characterized by their large area, the existence of soft and hard specifications, and direct contact with the wafer during processing. The routine preventive maintenance of polishing pads requires manually removing the old polishing pads, cleaning the polishing pad, and attaching the new polishing pads.

[0005] Preventive maintenance of polishing pads can create air bubbles between the pad and the polishing disc, leading to unevenness, especially noticeable with soft polishing pads. Because soft polishing pads are easily deformed, uneven adhesion during application often results in poor bonding, leaving numerous air bubbles between the pad and the disc. Since chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) aims for precise planarization, unevenness on the processing surface (polishing pad surface) in contact with the wafer is highly detrimental to the CMP process results. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the CMP process for polishing pads. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this application is to provide a tool to solve the problem that the preventive maintenance operation of polishing pads may cause air bubbles between the polishing pad and the polishing disc, resulting in uneven polishing pads.

[0007] This application provides a tool for the preventive maintenance of polishing equipment. The polishing equipment includes a polishing pad and a polishing disc. The tool includes a fixing frame and a tool holder. The structure of the fixing frame body is adapted to the polishing disc. First connecting members are respectively disposed on the top surface of the fixing frame body and have extensions extending inward. The fixing frame body is hung on the polishing disc through the extensions. The fixing frame body is assembled on the polishing disc through the plurality of first connecting members. Several positions on the side wall of the fixing frame body protrude outward to form a plurality of second connecting parts. The second connecting parts partially or completely enclose a receiving cavity.

[0008] The tool holder includes a tool holder body and a support frame. The tool holder body can be assembled into the receiving cavity, and the support frame extends from the tool holder body to support the polishing pad.

[0009] In some embodiments, the mounting bracket body is adapted to the outer diameter of the polishing disc.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second connecting portions are arranged in pairs and symmetrically arranged, with a quantity of at least four.

[0011] In some embodiments, the tool holder further includes a lifting structure, and a cavity is provided inside the tool holder body for accommodating the lifting structure. A support frame is disposed on the lifting structure, and the lifting structure drives the support frame to move, for adjusting the distance between the support frame and the polishing disc after the tool holder is inserted into the accommodating cavity.

[0012] In some embodiments, the support frame is connected to the lifting structure at a fixed angle, and the support frame is arranged parallel to the polishing disc.

[0013] In some embodiments, the support frame is pivotally connected to the lifting structure, and the support frame rotates from a position parallel to the polishing disc toward the polishing disc with the connection point between the support frame and the lifting structure as the axis, and the rotation angle range is 0° to 30°.

[0014] In some embodiments, the ratio of the length of the support frame to the diameter of the polishing pad ranges from 1 / 10 to 3 / 10.

[0015] In some embodiments, the tool holder body is provided with two support arms, one end of the two support arms is located in the middle of the tool holder body and is perpendicular to the tool holder body, and the two support arms form an angle between them, for mounting the tool holder on the polishing disc after the tool holder is inserted into the receiving cavity.

[0016] In some embodiments, the included angle between the two support arms ranges from 0° to 90°.

[0017] In some embodiments, the support arm is provided with an anti-slip pad on the side facing the polishing disc to prevent the fixing frame from shifting on the polishing disc.

[0018] As described above, the tool of this application has the following beneficial effects: the fixing frame and tool holder of the tool of this application can establish a flexibly detachable support structure at the edge of the polishing pad, so that the tool holder supports and aligns the polishing pad during preventive maintenance. After the polishing pad is supported, the central area naturally droops, and the central area of ​​the polishing pad can be glued and fixed to the polishing pad first, and then the middle area and edge area of ​​the polishing pad can be glued and fixed step by step. This achieves semi-standardization of the preventive maintenance process, which can reduce the rework rate and reduce the number and size of air bubbles between the polishing pad and the polishing pad after the process, thereby improving the level of chemical mechanical planarization process. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The following accompanying drawings describe in detail the exemplary embodiments disclosed in this application. The same reference numerals denote similar structures in several views of the drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments are non-limiting and exemplary, and the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Other embodiments may similarly fulfill the inventive intent of this application. It should be understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0020] in:

[0021] Figure 1 These are schematic diagrams of the tools shown in some embodiments of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A top view of the mounting bracket of the tool shown;

[0023] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A side view of the tool holder shown;

[0024] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A top view of the tool holder shown;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the pivotally connected support frame rotation according to some embodiments of this application;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a bifurcated support frame according to some embodiments of this application;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a top view schematic diagram illustrating the application of some embodiments of this application of a polishing pad using a tool. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The following description provides specific application scenarios and requirements for this application, intended to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the content of this application. Various partial modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the embodiments shown, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the claims.

[0029] Due to limitations in the chamber's capacity, current preventative maintenance procedures for polishing pads are typically performed manually by a single person. The outcome of polishing pad replacement varies depending on the operator's skill. The only tool used is a leveling tool.

[0030] When manually replacing polishing pads, the plastic sheeting must be peeled off while the pad is smoothly reattached. The confined space makes this process inconvenient, potentially leading to a large number and size of air bubbles. This results in two problems: firstly, the polishing pad may need to be replaced again, causing additional waste; secondly, undetected abnormal air bubbles can negatively impact process results and may even cause the polishing pad to break during the process. Therefore, to improve the efficiency of polishing pad replacement, a tool needs to be designed to provide a standardized polishing pad replacement process.

[0031] refer to Figure 1 The schematic diagram of tool 100 shown illustrates that this application provides a tool 100 for preventative maintenance of polishing equipment. The polishing equipment includes a polishing pad 3 and a polishing disc 4. Tool 100 includes a mounting bracket 1 and a tool holder 2. (Combined with...) Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the mounting bracket 1 includes a mounting bracket body 11 and a plurality of first connecting members 12. The plurality of first connecting members 12 are respectively disposed on the top surface of the mounting bracket body 11 and have inwardly extending extensions for mounting the mounting bracket body 11 onto the polishing pad 4 by means of hooking. Several locations on the sidewall of the mounting bracket body 11 protrude outward to form a plurality of second connecting portions 13, which partially or completely enclose a receiving cavity 14. The receiving cavity 14 is adapted to the tool holder 2 for loading the tool holder 2. The tool holder 2 includes a tool holder body 21 and a support frame 22. The support frame 22 extends from the tool holder body 21 and is used to support the polishing pad 3.

[0032] The technical solution of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments, the mounting bracket body 11 is adapted to the polishing disc 4. The mounting bracket body is, for example, a ring structure adapted to the polishing disc, with the inner diameter of the ring structure matching the outer diameter of the polishing disc. The first connecting member 12 is, for example, a hook disposed on the top surface of the mounting bracket body. When the mounting bracket 1 is assembled onto the polishing disc 4, the mounting bracket 1 is attached to the polishing disc 4 via the first connecting member 12 in a hook-and-loop manner, eliminating the need for installation and facilitating the removal of the mounting bracket 1 from the polishing disc 4.

[0034] In some embodiments, the number of first connectors 12 is at least three. Preferably, the number of first connectors 12 is four or six. The plurality of first connectors 12 are evenly or symmetrically arranged on the mounting bracket 1, enabling the mounting bracket 1 to be stably mounted on the polishing disc 4. Figure 2 The number of the first connector 12 shown is only an example.

[0035] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the receiving cavity 14 is for inserting the tool holder 2, thereby assembling the tool holder 2 onto the mounting frame 1. The receiving cavity 14 forms an insertion hole whose shape matches the outline of the tool holder 2, which facilitates the fixed support of the tool holder 2.

[0036] In some embodiments, the receiving cavity 14 can be partially enclosed or fully enclosed. In the fully enclosed case, the second connecting portion 13 automatically encloses to form the receiving cavity for insertion of the tool holder 2. In the partially enclosed case, the second connecting portion 13 and the outer side of the polishing disc jointly enclose the cavity for insertion of the tool holder 2.

[0037] In some embodiments, the shape of the receiving cavity 14 is set to an asymmetrical structure to ensure that the tool holder 2 can only be inserted into the receiving cavity 14 from a specific direction or position, such as a crescent shape or a semi-circle, which can avoid possible misoperation and at the same time better fix the tool holder 2 in the receiving cavity 14 without rotation.

[0038] In some embodiments, the second connecting portions 13 are arranged in pairs, symmetrically, and the number is at least four. The number of second connecting portions 13 is equal to the number of tool holders 2, that is, the number of support frames 22 used to support the polishing pad 3. If the number of second connecting portions 13 is too small, the polishing pad 3 cannot be supported well, and the edge of the polishing pad 3 will sag. If the number of second connecting portions 13 is too large, and they are arranged too densely, it is inconvenient to operate and increases costs. The number of second connecting portions 13 (i.e., tool holders 2) can be determined according to the specific size of the polishing disc 4 and the hardness characteristics of the polishing pad 3.

[0039] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, in some embodiments, when the mounting bracket 1 is mounted on the polishing disc 4 and the tool holder 2 is inserted into the receiving cavity 14, the vertical surface of the tool holder body 21 facing the polishing disc 4 is set as an arc surface 23 that adapts to the outer ring of the polishing disc 4 and the polishing pad 3. Therefore, a combination of several tool holder bodies 21 can confine the polishing pad 3 within a specific range on the polishing disc 4 and can assist in aligning the polishing pad 3 with the polishing disc 4.

[0040] like Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, two support arms 24 are provided on the tool holder body 21. One end of the two support arms 24 is located in the middle of the tool holder body 21, and the two support arms 24 form an included angle. The two support arms 24 are perpendicular to the tool holder body 21, and are used to assemble the tool holder 2 onto the polishing disc 4 after the tool holder 2 is inserted into the receiving cavity 14. The included angle between the two support arms 24 makes the tool holder 2 more stable.

[0041] In some embodiments, the included angle between the two support arms 24 ranges from 0° to 90°, with a preferred value of 60°. An included angle of 60° utilizes the characteristics of an equilateral triangle, which can effectively achieve a stable support effect for the support arms 24.

[0042] In some embodiments, the support arm 24 is provided with an anti-slip pad 25 on the side facing the polishing pad 4 to increase friction and prevent the fixing bracket 1 from shifting on the polishing pad 4, such as rotating. This is because any displacement would affect the adhesion quality and position of the polishing pad 3.

[0043] Further, refer to Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, a cavity 26 is provided within the tool holder body 21 to accommodate a lifting structure (not shown). A support frame 22 is disposed on the lifting structure, which is located within the cavity 26, with the support frame 22 extending out of the cavity 26. The lifting structure moves the support frame 22 to adjust the distance between the support frame 22 and the polishing pad 4 after the tool holder 2 is inserted into the receiving cavity 14. Different diameters or materials of the polishing pad 3 require different heights of the support frame 22, and the lifting structure provides an adjustable height for the support frame 22. It should be noted that the lifting structure is prior art and is only a simple example here, and will not be described in detail.

[0044] Furthermore, the support frame 22 and the lifting structure include the following two connection methods:

[0045] One connection method is to refer to Figure 3 As shown, the support frame 22 of the tool holder 2 is fixedly connected to the lifting structure, and the support frame 22 is parallel to the polishing disc 4.

[0046] Another connection method is to refer to Figure 5As shown, one end of the support frame 22' of the tool holder 2' is pivotally connected to the lifting structure. The angle α between the support frame 22' and the polishing disc 4 is changed according to the deformation degree of the polishing pad 3, making the bending of the polishing pad 3 smoother. This prevents excessive bending of the polishing pad 3 by the edge of the support frame 22' during the support process, thus avoiding damage. Changing the angle α between the support frame 22' and the polishing disc 4 can also adjust the contact between the polishing pad 3 and the polishing disc 4, further optimizing the prevention of air bubbles after maintenance. Specifically, in some embodiments, the support frame 22' is pivotally connected to the lifting structure, and the support frame 22' rotates from a position parallel to the polishing disc 4 towards the polishing disc 4, with the connection point between the support frame 22' and the lifting structure as the axis. The rotation angle α of the support frame 22' ranges from 0° to 30°. In some embodiments, the pivotal connection between the support frame 22' and the lifting structure uses a damping shaft.

[0047] In some embodiments, the length of the support frame 22 is adjusted according to the size of the polishing pad 3 and / or the hardness characteristics of the polishing pad 3, and the ratio of the length of the support frame 22 to the diameter of the polishing pad 3 ranges from 1 / 10 to 3 / 10. After adjustment, the length of the support frame 22 can achieve the purpose of both stably supporting the polishing pad 3 and not hindering the application of the polishing pad 3 from the center to the edge.

[0048] In some embodiments, reference Figure 6 As shown, the support frame 22” of the tool holder 2” has a forked structure, which serves to provide stable support. Preferably, the support frame 22” has a V-shaped fork; the support frame 22” can also have multiple forks. When the polishing pad 3 is in a suspended state on the support frame 22” before being pasted, the forked structure can ensure the stability of the polishing pad 3, while reducing the number of tool holders 2” used during preventive maintenance, thus saving costs.

[0049] refer to Figure 7 The diagram shown is a top view illustrating the application of a polishing pad 3 using a tool. In some embodiments, the method of using the tool 100 includes the following steps:

[0050] The fixing bracket 1 is placed on the polishing disc 4 and hung on the polishing disc 4 by the first connector 12;

[0051] Insert the tool holder 2 into the receiving cavity 14 on the fixed frame 1, so that the support frame 22 is positioned above the polishing disc 4;

[0052] Peel off the plastic film from the back of the polishing pad 3;

[0053] Use the curved surface 23 of the tool holder 2 to assist in aligning the polishing pad 3 and the polishing disc 4;

[0054] Place the polishing pad 3 on the support frame 22;

[0055] Use the flattener 5 to attach the polishing pad 3 to the polishing disc 4 from the center outwards;

[0056] Remove tool 100 and use leveler 5 to complete the final leveling and polishing of pad 3.

[0057] As can be seen from the above, after using the tool 100 of this application, the preventive maintenance process of the polishing equipment can be partially standardized (referred to as semi-standardized).

[0058] Furthermore, comparing the bubble situation in the original and semi-standardized processes listed in Table 1, the statistical results show that introducing tool 100 for the preventive maintenance of polishing pad 3 reduces the number and size of bubbles. In addition, using tool 100 eliminates the need to re-adhere and adjust polishing pad 3 during preventive maintenance; whereas the original process requires 1-2 adjustments (tearing and re-adhering), which can lead to adhesive failure and scrapping of the polishing pad 3. If significant bubbles remain after preventive maintenance of polishing pad 3, it may result in unstable polishing rates, leading to wafer contour asymmetry. Therefore, tool 100 is beneficial for the chemical mechanical planarization process in wafer manufacturing.

[0059] Table 1 Comparison of bubble situation between the original process and the semi-standardized process.

[0060]

[0061] The beneficial effects that the embodiments of this application may bring include, but are not limited to: the tool holder and tool rack of this application can establish a flexibly detachable support structure at the edge of the polishing pad, so that the tool rack supports and aligns the polishing pad during the preventive maintenance process. After the polishing pad is supported, the central area naturally drops. The polishing pad's central area is first pasted and fixed to the polishing pad using a leveler, and then the central area and edge area of ​​the polishing pad are gradually pasted and fixed. This achieves semi-standardization of the preventive maintenance process, which can reduce the rework rate and reduce the number of air bubbles between the polishing pad and the polishing pad after the process. The air bubbles are also smaller, which improves the level of chemical mechanical planarization process.

[0062] It should be noted that different embodiments may produce different beneficial effects. In different embodiments, the beneficial effects may be any one or a combination of the above, or any other possible beneficial effects.

[0063] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the detailed disclosure above is merely illustrative and does not constitute a limitation of this specification. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this specification, and therefore remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0064] It should be noted that, in the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; a rotating connection or a sliding connection; a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; or the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application in light of the specific circumstances.

[0065] Furthermore, when the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used in this application specification to describe various features, these terms are only used to distinguish these features and should not be construed as indicating or implying the correlation or relative importance between features or implicitly indicating the number of features indicated.

[0066] In addition, this application specification describes exemplary embodiments by referring to idealized exemplary cross-sectional views and / or plan views and / or perspective views. Therefore, differences from the illustrated shapes are foreseeable due to factors such as manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limited to the shapes of the regions shown herein, but should include deviations in shape caused, for example, by manufacturing processes. Thus, the regions shown in the figures are substantially schematic, and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shapes of the regions of the device, nor to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0067] Furthermore, this application uses specific terms to describe embodiments of this specification. For example, "an embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different locations in this application do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this application can be appropriately combined.

[0068] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of the present application and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application sometimes combines multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of the application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments contain fewer features than all the features of the single embodiments disclosed above.

[0069] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this application are merely illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of this application. Other modifications may also fall within the scope of this application. Therefore, alternative configurations of the embodiments of this application are considered as examples and not limitations, and are regarded as consistent with the teachings of this application. Accordingly, the embodiments of this application are not limited to the embodiments explicitly described and illustrated in this application.

Claims

1. A tool for preventative maintenance of polishing equipment, said polishing equipment comprising a polishing pad and a polishing disc, characterized in that, The tools include: A fixing frame includes a fixing frame body and several first connecting members. The structure of the fixing frame body is adapted to the polishing disc. The first connecting members are respectively disposed on the top surface of the fixing frame body and have extensions extending inward. The fixing frame body is hung on the polishing disc through the extensions. Several positions on the side wall of the fixing frame body protrude outward to form several second connecting parts. The second connecting parts partially or completely enclose a receiving cavity. A tool holder, comprising a tool holder body and a support frame, wherein the tool holder body can be fitted into the receiving cavity, and the support frame extends from the tool holder body and is used to support the polishing pad.

2. The tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting bracket body is adapted to the outer diameter of the polishing disc.

3. The tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second connecting parts are arranged in pairs and symmetrically, with a minimum of four.

4. The tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tool holder also includes a lifting structure. A cavity is provided inside the tool holder body to accommodate the lifting structure. A support frame is disposed on the lifting structure. The lifting structure drives the support frame to move, thereby adjusting the distance between the support frame and the polishing disc.

5. The tool according to claim 4, characterized in that, The support frame is connected to the lifting structure at a fixed angle, and the support frame is arranged parallel to the polishing disc.

6. The tool according to claim 4, characterized in that, The support frame is pivotally connected to the lifting structure. With the connection point between the support frame and the lifting structure as the axis, the support frame rotates from a position parallel to the polishing disc toward the polishing disc, and the rotation angle range is 0° to 30°.

7. The tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ratio of the length of the support frame to the diameter of the polishing pad ranges from 1 / 10 to 3 / 10.

8. The tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tool holder body is provided with two support arms. One end of the two support arms is located in the middle of the tool holder body and is perpendicular to the tool holder body. The two support arms form an angle between them for mounting the tool holder on the polishing disc.

9. The tool according to claim 8, characterized in that, The included angle between the two support arms is in the range of 0° to 90°.

10. The tool according to claim 8, characterized in that, The support arm is provided with an anti-slip pad on the side facing the polishing disc.

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