Method and system for chemical mechanical polishing pad cleaning
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsJulia Svirchevski, Katrina Mikhaylich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a method for cleaning a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad is provided. The CMP pad surface has a residue thereon. Chemicals are applied onto the surface of the CMP pad and the pad surface is rinsed so as to substantially remove by-product produced by the chemicals. A mechanical conditioning operation is performed on the surface of the pad. The wafer surface includes copper and oxide during the CMP operation.
Claims12
A method for cleaning a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad, the CMP pad having a residue on a surface of the CMP pad, the method comprising:
- applying chemicals onto the surface of the CMP pad;
- rinsing the pad surface to substantially remove by-product produced by the chemicals;
- and
- performing a mechanical conditioning operation on the surface of the pad,
- wherein during the CMP operation the wafer surface includes copper and oxide.
A method of cleaning a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad, the CMP pad having a residue on a surface of the CMP pad as a result of performing a CMP operation on the surface of a substrate, the surface of the substrate including substantially all copper at a beginning of the CMP operation and a combination of oxide and copper near a completion of the CMP operation, the method comprising:
- applying chemicals onto the surface of the CMP pad;
- and
- rinsing the pad surface to substantially remove the applied chemicals and the residue, wherein when the substrate surface includes copper, the chemicals are selected from one or a combination of:
- (a) NH4Cl+CuCl2+HCl;
- (b) (NH4)2 S2O8+H2 SO4;
- (c) CuCl2+NH4Cl+NH4OH;
- (d) C6H8O7;
- (e) NH4OH;
- (f) (NH4)2HC6H5O7;
- (g) HCl;
- (h) HF;
- (i) TMAH;
- (j) SC1;
- (k) chelating agents;
- and
- (l) surfactants.
A method for cleaning a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) pad that has already been used for performing a CMP operation on a wafer surface, the CMP pad having a residue on a surface of the CMP pad, the method comprising:
- applying chemicals onto the surface of the CMP pad, such that when the wafer surface is oxide, the chemicals are selected from one or a combination of:
- (m) NH4OH+hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)+deionized water (DIW);
- (n) NH4OH;
- (o) C6H8O7;
- (p) (NH4)2HC6H5O7;
- (q) HCl;
- (r) HF;
- (s) TMAH;
- (t) chelating agents;
- and
- (u) surfactants;
- allowing the chemicals to react with the residue to produce a by-product;
- rinsing the pad surface to substantially remove the by-product;
- and
- performing a mechanical conditioning operation on the surface of the pad.
A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system, the CMP system having a CMP pad surface having a residue, the CMP system comprising:
- a holding surface for receiving the CMP pad;
- a polishing head for holding and applying a wafer to the CMP pad surface;
- and
- a chemical dispenser for uniformly applying a first pad cleaning chemical or a second pad cleaning chemical across the CMP pad surface, the first and second pad cleaning chemicals being configured to react with the residue so as to produce a by-product, substantially removing the residue from the CMP pad surface,
- wherein when the wafer primarily includes copper, the chemical dispenser will apply the first pad cleaning chemicals, and further wherein when the wafer primarily includes oxide, the chemical dispenser will apply the second pad cleaning chemicals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.