Gas entrainment during jetting of fluid for temperature control in chemical mechanical polishing
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsSurajit Kumar, Hui Chen, Chih Chung Chou, Shou-Sung Chang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and a pad cooling assembly. The pad cooling assembly has an arm extending over the platen, a nozzle suspended by the arm and coupled to a source of coolant fluid, the nozzle positioned to spray coolant fluid from the source onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad, and an opening in the arm adjacent the nozzle and a passage extending in the arm from the opening, the opening positioned sufficiently close to the nozzle that a flow of coolant fluid from the nozzle entrains air from the opening.
Claims21
A chemical mechanical polishing system, comprising:
- a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface;
- and
- a pad cooling assembly including
- an arm extending over the platen, wherein the arm comprises a support plate having an aperture therethrough,
- a nozzle suspended by the arm and coupled to a source of coolant fluid, the nozzle positioned to spray coolant fluid from the source onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad, wherein the nozzle is oriented to spray coolant fluid through the aperture, and
- an opening in the arm adjacent the nozzle and a passage extending in the arm from the opening, the opening positioned sufficiently close to the nozzle that a flow of coolant fluid from the nozzle entrains air from the opening, wherein the opening is provided by a gap between an inner surface of the aperture and the nozzle.
A method of temperature control for a chemical mechanical polishing system, comprising:
- supporting a nozzle on a support arm;
- forming a coolant fluid by chilling air, by evaporating liquid nitrogen, by evaporating liquid ethanol, by evaporating of liquid isopropyl alcohol, and/or by sublimating dry ice, wherein the coolant fluid is a gas;
- delivering the coolant fluid from a coolant source through the nozzle;
- and
- entraining air from an opening in the support arm in a flow of coolant fluid from the nozzle so that a mixture of coolant fluid and entrained air is directed onto a polishing pad.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.