Abstract: A multi-zoned carrier for a chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing device includes a center cell, a middle cell, and an outer cell. Each of the cells are in fluid communication with each other through multiple conduits equipped with flow restrictors. The combination of cells and conduits allows more uniformity and planarity to be achieved during the chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing process.

Abstract: Apparatus and process for cleaning the surface of a work piece include a first cleaning station for scrubbing a work piece and a second cleaning station for cleaning the pad used to scrub the surface of the work piece. The pad is cleaned during the “dead time” during which a first clean work pieces is unloaded and a subsequent dirty work piece is loaded into the first cleaning station. During the dead time the cleaning pad, mounted on a support stand that controls the cleaning pad, pivots from the first work piece cleaning station to the second pad cleaning station. The cleaning pad is lowered into the pad cleaning station and is brought into contact with a beater bar against which the pad surface is rotated. During the rotation the pad surface is washed with a cleaning fluid of the same composition as used to clean the work piece surface.

Abstract: A rotary union is provided for chemical/mechanical polishing of silicon wafers, especially silicon wafers containing chemically sensitive integrated circuit structures. A rotary union is provided with a union rotor and union stator, coupled at the free end of a support spindle carrying a CMP polishing table. In the preferred embodiment the rotary union is joined to a coolant union forming the lower end of the support spindle. A passageway through the union rotor extends past the bottom end of the coolant union rotating part to avoid contact of fluid transmitted through the passageway formed in the union rotor, with the rotating part of the coolant union.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad used for chemically mechanically polishing semiconductor wafers. The conditioning device includes a rigid elongated element that resists bowing or warping during the conditioning process. Abrasive elements are supported by a substantially planar bottom surface of the rigid element. The abrasive elements may have a diamond layer cut into a grid pattern to provide an abrasive surface. The conditioning device is preferably used to condition a polishing pad supported by a rigid platen. The conditioning device is pressed against and swept across the polishing pad by an actuator while the polishing pad is rotated to uniformly condition the polishing pad. This uniform conditioning, while avoiding the bowing and warping of the prior art, provides a superior conditioning process for the polishing pad.

Abstract: A reinforced bladder for a chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing device includes an elastomer infused with a reinforcing material. The elastomer can be a rubber such as EPDM. The reinforcing material can be a chopped fiber such as aramid. Alternatively, the reinforcing material can be a sheet (such as a triaxial or hexaxial weave of aramid) embedded in and infused with the elastomer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a labyrinth seal for use with a workpiece planarization apparatus, such as a chemical mechanical planarization apparatus. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a labyrinth seal comprising a member having at least one sloped feature which is configured to inhibit a fluid from traveling into and through the labyrinth.

Abstract: The present invention provides a processing method of outermost periphery edge part of silicon wafer comprising, etching the outermost periphery edge of silicon wafer by activated species gas generated in plasma. The plasma activated species gas can be generated by dissociation of, for example, sulfur hexafluoride gas in a discharge tube 8. Further, provides a processing apparatus for etching of outermost periphery edge of silicon wafer by means of plasma etching method comprising, a means to hold and rotate a silicon wafer 1, a container 5 which covers all surface of silicon wafer except a part of outermost periphery edge, a vacuum chamber 10 which contain said container and a plasma generating means 11.

Abstract: A single-side polishing method, and an apparatus therefor, for the upper surface and the end face of a substrate edge with a polishing strip are provided. The apparatus comprises a substrate holding member rotatably holding the substrate and a supporting a member capable of coming into contact with and retreating from the substrate holding member; a moving section pressed by a force imparting member against a single side and an end face of the substrate edge via the polishing strip is arranged so that the polishing strip polishes the side and the end face of the substrate edge upon rotation of the substrate.

Abstract: A rotary union is provided for chemical mechanical polishing of silicon wafers, especially silicon wafers containing chemically sensitive integrated circuit structures. A rotary union is provided with a union rotor and union stator, coupled at the free end of a support spindle carrying a CMP polishing table. In the preferred embodiment the rotary union is joined to a coolant union forming the lower end of the support spindle. A passageway through the union rotor extends past the bottom end of the coolant union rotating part to avoid contact of fluid transmitted through the passageway formed in the union rotor, with the rotating part of the coolant union.

Abstract: A wafer handling wand allows the efficient loading and unloading of semiconductor wafers to and from a CMP apparatus. The wand includes identical work piece gripping, alignment, and loading/unloading mechanisms on the top and bottom sides. A processed wafer can be unloaded from the apparatus onto one side of the wand and an unprocessed wafer can be loaded into the apparatus from the second side. The gripping mechanism includes a support area and a spaced apart moveable gripping finger. Wafer loading is facilitated by a cam attached to the support area that rotates when the cam contacts the apparatus. Upon rotation, the cam provides a surface for directing the work piece into the apparatus. The surface of the cam also includes an alignment aid that can be brought into contact with a reference surface on the apparatus to insure proper alignment between the wand and the apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for optical endpoint detection of a chemical mechanical polishing process, that reduces or eliminates interference effects caused by air bubbles in chemical polishing slurries, and accumulation of polishing debris on components of the optical system. In particular, the invention provides hydrophobic light pipes and windows with polishing surfaces substantially coplanar with surrounding surfaces of polishing pads to thereby eliminate the effect of air bubbles trapped in recesses at the polishing pad surface. Moreover, hydrophobic surfaces have now been found to resist the accumulation of polished debris thereon, resulting in a reduction in loss of optical reflectance over polishing time. Accordingly, the invention provides an optical endpoint system that eliminates or reduces both the oversaturation and loss of reflectance problems of the prior art.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for planarizing a wafer in a carrier with adjustable pressure zones and adjustable barriers between zones. The carrier has an independently controlled central zone and concentric surrounding zones for distributing the pressure on the backside of a wafer while the wafer is being pressed against an abrasive surface in a chemical-mechanical polishing tool. The pressure zones may be created by mounting an elastic web diaphragm to a carrier housing that has a plurality of recesses. A corresponding plurality of elastic ring shaped ribs may extend from the web diaphragm opposite the recesses. The plurality of ring shaped ribs thereby defines a central zone surrounded by one or more concentric surrounding zones. The zones and barriers may be individually pressurized by utilizing corresponding fluid communication paths during the planarization process.

Abstract: A single-layer polishing pad is grooved in a pattern having relatively large turn radius bends (i.e., greater than the 90° bends of conventional rectangular grid grooving) to improve stability. The large radius bends allow slurry to be more easily and uniformly distributed across the surface of the polishing pad than conventional rectangular grooving. This improvement in slurry distribution tends to improve RR uniformity and WIWNU. In one embodiment, the polishing pad is grooved in a hexagonal pattern, which produces a grooving pattern with 120° bends. The grooves do not penetrate all of the way through the upper layer, thereby maintaining the “stiffness” of the polishing pad, which tends to improve planarization. When used in conjunction with standard pad conditioning techniques, polishing pads with groove patterns having large radius bends has yielded startling and unexpected improvement in stability.

Abstract: An integral machine for polishing, cleaning, rinsing and drying workpieces such as semiconductor wafers. A load/unload station has a plurality of platforms for receiving cassettes of wafers to be processed. A dry end-effector of a robot retrieves wafers from the cassettes and transfers them to an index table. A transfer apparatus having wafer carrier elements picks up wafers from the index table, moves the wafers to a polishing table for polishing, and returns the wafers to the index table for further processing. A flipper moves the polished wafers to a cleaning station. The cleaning station includes scrub stations, a rinsing station and a spin dryer station, and a connective system of water tracks. A wet end-effector of the robot transfers rinsed wafers to the spin dryer station. The dry end-effector of the robot moves dried wafers from the spin dryer station back to the cassette of origination.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for planarizing a wafer in a carrier with adjustable pressure zones and adjustable barriers between zones. The carrier has an independently controlled central zone and concentric surrounding zones for distributing the pressure on the backside of a wafer while the wafer is being pressed against an abrasive surface in a chemical-mechanical polishing tool. The pressure zones may be created by mounting an elastic web diaphragm to a carrier housing that has a plurality of recesses. A corresponding plurality of elastic ring shaped ribs may extend from the web diaphragm opposite the recesses. The plurality of ring shaped ribs thereby defines a central zone surrounded by one or more concentric surrounding zones. The zones and barriers may be individually pressurized by utilizing corresponding fluid communication paths during the planarization process.

Abstract: A method for polishing a copper pattern on a workpiece is disclosed. The invention provides for selective micro-polishing of local regions of divergence of the profile of the copper pattern, to a predetermined state wherein the profile more closely approximates the profile of surrounding surfaces. Thereafter, the entire workpiece surface is polished in accordance with a predetermined polish profile. In the case of semiconductor wafers, local regions of a copper layer at the periphery of the wafer often have a thickness which is outside the thickness range for which a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) tool can effectively polish the copper layer in accordance with a predetermined polish profile.

Abstract: A method of conditioning pads used in the polishing of semiconductor wafers containing copper circuitry. The method includes applying a treatment solution that contains a reactant for particulate copper-containing debris on the pad resulting from the copper circuitry. Preferably, the reactant is a carboxylic acid present in a concentration of from about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent in a solution. The pH of the solution may be adjusted to the range from about 1 to about 6 with a compatible base.

Abstract: A system for improving the total thickness variation across a surface of a bulk semiconductor wafer includes an initial total thickness variation measuring instrument. The initial total thickness variation profile is then converted to a dwell time versus position map. A confined plasma is then used to selectively locally remove material from the surface so that the final surface of the bulk semiconductor has an improved final total thickness variation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for polishing and planarizing workpieces such as semiconductor wafers is presented. Conditioning rings, which are used to condition polishing pads used in the planarization or polishing of semiconductor wafers, are shown which utilize brazed diamond technology in association with a coating of a titanium nitride containing composition or a thin film diamond deposition in order to reduce the fracturing and loss of cutting elements bonded to the conditioning ring.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for cleaning, rinsing and drying work pieces such as semiconductor wafers. The apparatus can be combined, in an integrated apparatus, with a CMP machine. The apparatus includes one or more brush boxes with water tracks to convey work pieces to and from the brush boxes. Each brush box and its associated water track provide for the containment of cleaning agents such as HF used in the cleaning process so that different cleaning agents used in different brush boxes are kept segregated. The efficiency of the brush box is enhanced by providing for movement of work pieces back and forth through the brush box. Thus work pieces can make more than one pass through a brush box.