Wafer Polishing Locating Ring Acute Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
The service life of existing wafer polishing locating rings in chemical mechanical polishing machines is short, leading to frequent replacements and increased maintenance costs and time.
Innovation Solution
A wafer polishing locating ring with a circular ring body featuring grooves that have an acute angle between the sidewalls and bottom, prolonging the service life by optimizing fluid flow and reducing wear, made from materials like polyphenylene sulfide or polyether ether ketone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If the groove height in the wafer polishing locating ring is increased to extend service life, then the service life is prolonged, but the polishing fluid flow efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the groove by introducing an acute angle between the sidewall and bottom, rather than using a conventional right angle. This parameter modification allows the groove to maintain sufficient depth for extended service life while the acute angle configuration ensures adequate polishing fluid flow efficiency by reducing flow resistance and improving fluid dynamics within the groove.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the groove depth is increased to reduce wear, then the service life extends, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the groove geometry by specifying an acute angle between the sidewall and bottom, which is a straightforward parameter change that can be easily implemented using conventional machining methods. This approach achieves extended service life through optimized wear distribution without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity, as the acute angle configuration is simple to produce compared to more complex groove profiles.
3Manufacturing precision
If the locating ring is replaced more frequently to maintain polishing quality, then the polishing precision is maintained, but the maintenance cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the groove geometry with an acute angle configuration that reduces wear rate and improves polishing fluid flow. This parameter optimization extends the service life of the locating ring, allowing it to maintain polishing precision for longer periods without requiring frequent replacement, thereby reducing both maintenance time and costs while sustaining high polishing quality.
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
Prolongs the service life of the wafer polishing locating ring and associated consumables, reducing maintenance costs and time by enhancing fluid flow and preventing scratches, thus improving the overall efficiency of the chemical mechanical polishing process.
Implementation Method 1
Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) has become the best method for global planarization and an indispensable process in the entire wafer manufacturing process
Implementation Method 2
the polishing fluid flows into the locating ring and the wafer along the groove opening in the bottom surface of the wafer polishing locating ring, thus achieving surface planarization of the wafer under the action of the polishing fluid
Data Source
AI summary
This application provides a wafer polishing locating ring. The wafer polishing locating ring includes a ring body and a plurality of grooves formed in the ring body. The ring body is a circular ring body and includes an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall. The grooves run through the outer sidewall and inner sidewall of the ring body. An included angle between a sidewall and a bottom of each groove is an acute angle. This application solves the problem of short service life of the existing wafer polishing locating ring.