Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad includes a pad body. The pad body has a polishing surface and a plurality of inner surfaces respectively connected with the polishing surface. The inner surfaces are separated from each other and respectively surround to define a columnar hole. The polishing surface is configured to polish against a workpiece. The columnar holes are configured to accommodate a polishing slurry.

Description

BACKGROUNDTechnical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pads and method of manufacturing these chemical mechanical polishing pads.Description of Related Art

[0002] As the demand for electronic devices has been increasing nowadays, the quality of various components of electronic devices becomes an important issue of the industry. Apart from improving the technology level of the components, the measures to guarantee the quality of the components during production is also highly concerned.

[0003] For example, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is an important treatment to wafers in order to improve the surface smoothness. Thus, the measure to enhance the effect of chemical mechanical polishing to wafers is undoubtedly an important issue in the industry.SUMMARY

[0004] A technical aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad, which can improve the performance to polish a workpiece.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a chemical mechanical polishing pad includes a pad body. The pad body has a polishing surface and a plurality of inner surfaces respectively connected with the polishing surface. The inner surfaces are separated from each other and respectively surround to define a columnar hole. The polishing surface is configured to polish against a workpiece. The columnar holes are configured to accommodate a polishing slurry.

[0006] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the inner surfaces is flat along a normal direction of the polishing surface.

[0007] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the columnar holes has a width parallel with the polishing surface and a length perpendicular to the polishing surface. The length is larger than the width.

[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the widths is constant along a corresponding one of the lengths.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, at least two of the widths are same as each other.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, at least two of the widths are different from each other.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, at least two of the lengths are same as each other.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, at least two of the lengths are different from each other.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the pad body has a thickness. The thickness is larger than the lengths.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the columnar holes are evenly distributed on the polishing surface.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the columnar holes are unevenly distributed on the polishing surface.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the inner surfaces surrounds to form a shape. At least two of the shapes are same as each other.

[0017] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the inner surfaces surrounds to form a shape. At least two of the shapes are different from each other.

[0018] A technical aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a manufacturing method of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad, which can improve the ability of a chemical mechanical polishing pad to accommodate the polishing slurry and thus improve the performance to polish a workpiece.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a manufacturing method of chemical mechanical polishing pad includes: providing a pad body with a polishing surface; and forming a plurality of columnar holes on the polishing surface.

[0020] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the procedure of forming the columnar holes includes: applying air shower on the polishing surface.

[0021] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the procedure of forming the columnar holes includes: piercing on the polishing surface.

[0022] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the procedure of forming the columnar holes includes: inserting a plurality of nanometric needles into the polishing surface.

[0023] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the procedure of forming the columnar holes includes: applying lithography and etching on the polishing surface.

[0024] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure have at least the following advantages:

[0025] (1) With the presence of the columnar holes disposed on the pad body, the chemical mechanical polishing pad can accommodate the polishing slurry in a steady manner, such that the performance of the chemical mechanical polishing pad in polishing a workpiece becomes more stable. In other words, the differentiation among the polishing effect on different workpieces by the same piece of the chemical mechanical polishing pad is effectively reduced.

[0026] (2) Since the size of each of the columnar holes is the same throughout the length, the polishing slurry can be steadily accommodated in each of the columnar holes.

[0027] (3) By forming the columnar holes on the polishing surface, the density of the columnar holes distributed on the polishing surface of the pad body can be intentionally designed. Thus, the ability of the chemical mechanical polishing pad to accommodate the polishing slurry can be effectively improved.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:

[0029] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 2 is a top view of the chemical mechanical polishing pad of FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a top view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0035] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a manufacturing method of chemical mechanical polishing pad according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Drawings will be used below to disclose embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of clear illustration, many practical details will be explained together in the description below. However, it is appreciated that the practical details should not be used to limit the claimed scope. In other words, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the practical details are not essential. Moreover, for the sake of drawing simplification, some customary structures and elements in the drawings will be schematically shown in a simplified way. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0038] Reference is made to FIGS. 1-2. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a top view of the chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-2, a chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 includes a pad body 110. The pad body 110 has a polishing surface 111 and a plurality of inner surfaces 112 respectively connected with the polishing surface 111. The inner surfaces 112 are separated from each other and respectively surround to define a columnar hole H of an elongated shape. The polishing surface 111 is configured to polish against a workpiece (not shown), such as a wafer. The columnar holes H are configured to accommodate a polishing slurry (not shown). With the presence of the columnar holes H disposed on the pad body 110, the chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 can accommodate the polishing slurry in a steady manner, such that the performance of the chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 in polishing a workpiece becomes more stable. In other words, the differentiation among the polishing effect on different workpieces by the same piece of the chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 is effectively reduced.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, each of the inner surfaces 112 is flat along a normal direction N of the polishing surface 111. In other words, each of the columnar holes H is straightly extended and is perpendicular to the polishing surface 111.

[0040] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, each of the columnar holes H has a width W parallel with the polishing surface 111 and a length L perpendicular to the polishing surface 111. It is worth to note that, in this embodiment, the length L of each of the columnar holes H is larger than the width W.

[0041] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the width W of each of the columnar holes H is constant along the length L. In other words, the size of each of the columnar holes H is the same throughout the length L. Therefore, the polishing slurry can be steadily accommodated in each of the columnar holes H.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, at least two of the widths W are the same as each other. For example, the widths W of the columnar holes H shown in FIGS. 1-2 are the same as each other.

[0043] Similarly, in this embodiment, at least two of the lengths L are the same as each other. For example, the lengths L of the columnar holes H shown in FIG. 1 are the same as each other.

[0044] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the pad body 110 has a thickness TK. In this embodiment, the thickness TK of the pad body 110 is larger than the lengths L of the columnar holes H.

[0045] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1-2, the columnar holes H are evenly distributed on the polishing surface 111 of the pad body 110. This means the distance between any adjacent two of the columnar holes H on the polishing surface 111 is substantially a constant.

[0046] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the inner surfaces 112 surrounds to form a shape. In this embodiment, at least two of the shapes are the same as each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the shapes formed by the inner surfaces 112 is circular and the shapes are the same as each other. In other embodiments, according to the actual situation, each of the shapes formed by the inner surfaces 112 can be elliptical, square, rectangular, polygonal or even irregular.

[0047] Reference is made to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a top view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, at least two of the shapes are different from each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the shapes formed by the inner surfaces 112a are circular, while the shapes formed by the inner surfaces 112b are irregular.

[0048] Reference is made to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the columnar holes H are unevenly distributed on the polishing surface 111 of the pad body 110, according to the actual situation. This means the distance between any adjacent two of the columnar holes H on the polishing surface 111 varies.

[0049] Reference is made to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, according to the actual situation, at least two of the lengths L are different from each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the lengths La of the columnar holes Ha are shorter than the lengths Lb of the columnar holes Hb.

[0050] Reference is made to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, according to the actual situation, at least two of the widths W are different from each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the widths Wc of the columnar holes Hc are larger than the widths Wd of the columnar holes Hd.

[0051] Reference is made to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a manufacturing method 500 of chemical mechanical polishing pad according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Apart from the chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 as mentioned above, another aspect of the present disclosure provides a manufacturing method 500 of chemical mechanical polishing pad. As shown in FIG. 7, the manufacturing method 500 of chemical mechanical polishing pad includes the following procedures, which should be understood that the order of procedures mentioned below can be changed as per actual requirements, and some of the procedures may be executed simultaneously or partially simultaneously unless their sequence is explicitly stated:

[0052] Procedure 510: providing the pad body 110 with the polishing surface 111.

[0053] Procedure 520: forming the columnar holes H on the polishing surface 111 of the pad body 110. It is worth to note that, by forming the columnar holes H on the polishing surface 111, the density of the columnar holes H distributed on the polishing surface 111 of the pad body 110 can be intentionally designed. Thus, the ability of the chemical mechanical polishing pad 100 to accommodate the polishing slurry can be effectively improved.

[0054] In practical applications, the columnar holes H can be formed by different technical arrangements on the polishing surface 111 including applying air shower on the polishing surface 111, piercing on the polishing surface 111, inserting a plurality of nanometric needles into the polishing surface 111, or applying lithography and etching on the polishing surface 111.

[0055] In conclusion, the aforementioned embodiments of the present disclosure have at least the following advantages:

[0056] (1) With the presence of the columnar holes disposed on the pad body, the chemical mechanical polishing pad can accommodate the polishing slurry in a steady manner, such that the performance of the chemical mechanical polishing pad in polishing a workpiece becomes more stable. In other words, the differentiation among the polishing effect on different workpieces by the same piece of the chemical mechanical polishing pad is effectively reduced.

[0057] (2) Since the size of each of the columnar holes is the same throughout the length, the polishing slurry can be steadily accommodated in each of the columnar holes.

[0058] (3) By forming the columnar holes on the polishing surface, the density of the columnar holes distributed on the polishing surface of the pad body can be intentionally designed. Thus, the ability of the chemical mechanical polishing pad to accommodate the polishing slurry can be effectively improved.

[0059] Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.

[0060] It will be apparent to the person having ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad, comprising:a pad body having a polishing surface and a plurality of inner surfaces respectively connected with the polishing surface, the inner surfaces being separated from each other and respectively surrounding to define a columnar hole, the polishing surface being configured to polish against a workpiece, the columnar holes being configured to accommodate a polishing slurry.

2. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 1, wherein each of the inner surfaces is flat along a normal direction of the polishing surface.

3. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 1, wherein each of the columnar holes has a width parallel with the polishing surface and a length perpendicular to the polishing surface, the length is larger than the width.

4. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 3, wherein each of the widths is constant along a corresponding one of the lengths.

5. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 3, wherein at least two of the widths are same as each other.

6. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 3, wherein at least two of the widths are different from each other.

7. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 3, wherein at least two of the lengths are same as each other.

8. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 3, wherein at least two of the lengths are different from each other.

9. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 3, wherein the pad body has a thickness, the thickness is larger than the lengths.

10. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 1, wherein the columnar holes are evenly distributed on the polishing surface.

11. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 1, wherein the columnar holes are unevenly distributed on the polishing surface.

12. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 1, wherein each of the inner surfaces surrounds to form a shape, at least two of the shapes are same as each other.

13. The chemical mechanical polishing pad of claim 1, wherein each of the inner surfaces surrounds to form a shape, at least two of the shapes are different from each other.

14. A manufacturing method of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad, comprising:providing a pad body with a polishing surface; andforming a plurality of columnar holes on the polishing surface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the columnar holes comprises:applying air shower on the polishing surface.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the columnar holes comprises:piercing on the polishing surface.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the columnar holes comprises:inserting a plurality of nanometric needles into the polishing surface.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the columnar holes comprises:applying lithography and etching on the polishing surface.

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