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US 2014/0273766 A1Published application
Polishing System with Front Side Pressure Control
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsShou-Sung Chang, Takashi Fujikawa, Hung Chih Chen, Paul D. Butterfield
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Abstract
A polishing apparatus includes a platen having a first surface to support a polishing pad and a second surface, a carrier head to hold a substrate against the polishing pad, a plurality of through-holes defined in the platen, and a pad pressure control assembly adjacent on a side of the platen opposite the carrier head.
Claims15
A polishing apparatus, comprising:
- a carrier head to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of a polishing pad, wherein the carrier head includes a retaining ring;
- and
- a plurality of pad pressure control elements, the control elements arranged in a plane below the polishing surface of the polishing pad and configured to be activated by proximity of the retaining ring.
A method of polishing, comprising:
- supporting a polishing pad on a platen;
- holding a substrate in a carrier head with a surface of the substrate against a top surface of the polishing pad;
- retaining the substrate below the carrier head with a retaining ring;
- and
- applying a pressure on a bottom surface of the polishing pad with a plurality of pad pressure control elements, wherein the control elements are configured to be activated by proximity of the retaining ring.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.