CMP Cleaner Vision-Controlled Nozzle Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes often leave defects on the polishing head, such as particles, which can cause scratches on semiconductor substrates and are difficult to remove effectively.
Innovation Solution
A cleaner system for CMP apparatuses, comprising a cleaning body with nozzles, a vision system, and a controller, that injects cleaning solutions and gas to the polishing head, allowing for precise control of cleaning solution amounts based on images of the polishing head's surface to remove defects from the membrane, retainer ring, and their gap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cleaning solutions are injected to the polishing head to remove defects, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but excessive cleaning solution may cause damage to the polishing head or substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system captures images of the polishing head surface to detect defects, and this image information is fed back to the controller to adjust cleaning solution injection amounts in real-time, ensuring effective cleaning while preventing damage from excessive solution
Solution Approach 2:
The controller dynamically adjusts the amount of cleaning solution injected based on defect information from the vision system, changing the cleaning solution flow rate parameter according to actual cleaning needs rather than using fixed injection amounts
2Reliability
If the cleaner is positioned to access the gap between membrane and retainer ring, then cleaning coverage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaner body is designed with a curved shape that corresponds to the curvature of the polishing head, allowing it to conform to the polishing head's surface geometry and access difficult-to-reach areas like the gap between membrane and retainer ring without requiring complex positioning mechanisms
3Measurement precision
If multiple cleaning nozzles are used to target specific defect locations, then cleaning precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cleaning nozzles are distributed at different positions on the cleaner body, with each nozzle targeted to clean specific areas of the polishing head including the gap between membrane and retainer ring, allowing localized cleaning of different defect locations
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning function is divided into multiple nozzles that can independently target different regions, with the controller selectively activating specific nozzles based on defect locations detected by the vision system
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively removes defects from the polishing head, preventing scratches on semiconductor substrates by accurately targeting and cleaning the gap between the membrane and retainer ring, enhancing the CMP process's reliability and quality.
Implementation Method 1
The cleaning nozzles may be arranged at the cleaning body to inject the cleaning solutions to the polishing head
Implementation Method 2
The blower may inject a gas to the polishing head to remove particles from the lower surface of the polishing head photographed by the camera
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaner for a CMP apparatus includes a cleaning body, a plurality of cleaning nozzles, a vision system and a controller. The cleaning body may be arranged under a polishing head of the CMP apparatus configured to hold a substrate. The cleaning body may be configured to receive a cleaning solution for cleaning the polishing head. The cleaning nozzles may be arranged at the cleaning body to inject the cleaning solutions to the polishing head. The vision system may photograph the polishing head to which the cleaning solution may be injected to obtain an image of the polishing head. The controller may individually control amounts of the cleaning solutions injected from the cleaning nozzles based on the image of the polishing head. Thus, a scratch caused by a defect may not be generated at the substrate.