Chemical Mechanical Polishing Head Cooling for Pad Hardness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Excessive heat generation during chemical mechanical polishing leads to reduced hardness and removal rate of the polishing pad, affecting the reliability of the process.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a cooling device with cooling pipes and thermal conductivity polymer materials in the wafer accommodating part and polishing pad to reduce friction heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If friction between the polishing pad and wafer occurs during polishing, then polishing function is achieved, but excessive heat is generated causing reduced pad hardness and removal rate
Solution Approach 1:
A cooling device is introduced as an intermediary component between the polishing pad and the polishing environment. The cooling device includes cooling channels that allow coolant circulation, serving as a heat transfer mediator to remove excessive heat from the polishing pad during operation, thereby preventing temperature rise that would reduce pad hardness and removal rate
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces purely mechanical friction-based polishing with a hybrid approach by integrating thermal management. The cooling device substitutes for passive mechanical heat dissipation with active thermal control, using coolant flow to manage heat generation from friction between the polishing pad and wafer
2Strength
If cooling device is added to reduce friction heat, then pad hardness is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is merged with the polishing head structure, combining the cooling function with the existing mechanical assembly. The cooling channels are integrated into the polishing head body, and the cooling device works in conjunction with the wafer holder and clamping mechanism, thereby maintaining pad hardness while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling device is designed to serve multiple functions: it cools the polishing pad during operation, supports the wafer holder structure, and integrates with the clamping mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby maintaining pad hardness without proportionally increasing device complexity
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
Improves the reliability of the chemical mechanical polishing process by effectively managing heat, maintaining pad hardness, and ensuring accurate polishing.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling device including a cooling pipe on an exterior surface of the wafer accommodating part
Implementation Method 2
at least some of the body part and the plurality of protruding portions include a thermal conductivity polymer material
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus including a polishing platen, a polishing pad on a first surface of the polishing platen, a polishing head on the polishing pad, the polishing head being configured to fix the wafer, a wafer accommodating part protruded from a first surface of the polishing head facing the first surface of the polishing pad, the wafer accommodating part having a ring shape along an edge of the first surface of the polishing head, and a cooling device including a cooling pipe on an exterior surface of the wafer accommodating part.