Y-Shaped Cleaning Nozzle for CMP Pad Residue Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes face inefficiencies due to residue accumulation on polishing pads, which reduces their surface roughness and polishing efficiency, and current cleaning nozzles in polishing machines are insufficient to effectively remove these residues without prolonging processing time.
Innovation Solution
The cleaning nozzle is redesigned with a Y-shaped structure incorporating a water inlet, a water outlet, and an air inlet, allowing for the introduction of pressurized gas to enhance the water pressure and cleaning efficiency by mixing gas with the cleaning liquid, which is sprayed onto the polishing pad to dislodge residues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional cleaning nozzle is used to clean the polishing pad, then the cleaning process can be performed, but the cleaning performance is insufficient and residues remain on the polishing pad
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pneumatic principles by introducing a gas inlet that delivers pressurized gas into the cleaning liquid flow path. The gas injection creates turbulent flow and increases the kinetic energy of the cleaning liquid, enabling it to effectively remove residues from the polishing pad surface that traditional liquid-only nozzles cannot eliminate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges two cleaning mechanisms into a single nozzle system: liquid cleaning (water flow) and gas cleaning (pressurized gas flow). The Y-shaped internal structure allows both liquid and gas to converge and exit together, creating a combined cleaning jet that leverages the advantages of both phases for superior residue removal.
2Reliability
If the cleaning nozzle is improved to enhance cleaning performance, then residues can be effectively removed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is segmented into distinct functional zones: a liquid inlet channel, a gas inlet channel, and a convergence chamber where the two flows interact. The Y-shaped internal structure clearly separates the liquid and gas pathways before they merge, allowing independent control and optimization of each flow while maintaining a relatively simple overall geometry.
3Productivity
If pressurized gas is introduced to enhance water pressure, then cleaning efficiency improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning liquid acts as an intermediary that transfers and amplifies the energy from the pressurized gas to the residue particles. The gas injects energy into the liquid flow, and the liquid flow subsequently delivers this enhanced energy to the cleaning target, providing indirect but effective energy transfer that improves cleaning efficiency.
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
The enhanced cleaning process effectively reduces residue levels on the polishing pad, improving polishing efficiency and extending its service life by maintaining a cleaner surface, with residue reduction from 2% to below 0.5% on average.
Implementation Method 1
a pressurized gas flows in from the air inlet to strengthen the pressure of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the water outlet
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning process of wafer polishing pad, the process includes providing a wafer polishing pad, performing a planarization process with the wafer polishing pad, leaving a residue on the wafer polishing pad after the planarization process, and performing a cleaning step with a cleaning nozzle to remove the residue, the cleaning nozzle comprises at least one Y-shaped pipe, one end of which is a water outlet, and the other two ends are respectively a water inlet and an air inlet, wherein a cleaning liquid flows from the water inlet to the water outlet, and a pressurized gas flows in from the air inlet.