# US 2018/0021918 A1 · Retaining ring for cmp

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2018/0021918 A1
- Document ID: US20180021918A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/658,294
- Filed: 2017-07-24
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-25
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Andrew J. Nagengast; Christopher Heung-Gyun Lee; Thomas Li; Anand N. Iyer; Jie Diao; Huanbo Zhang; Erik S. Rondum; Wei-Cheng Lee; Jeonghoon Oh
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180021918A1

## CPC

- B24B 37/32: Retaining rings
- H10P 52/402: {of semiconductor materials}
- H10P 72/0418: {for etching}
- H10P 72/0428: {Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting}
- H10P 72/7611: {characterised by edge profile or support profile}
- B24B: MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING (grinding of gear teeth B23F, of screw-threads B23G1/36; by electro-erosion B23H; abrasive or related blasting B24C; tools for grinding, buffing or sharpening B24D; polishing compositions C09G1/00; abrasives C09K3/14; electrolytic etching or polishing C25F3/00; grinding arrangements for use on assembled railway tracks E01B31/17); DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A retaining ring includes a generally annular body having an inner surface to constrain a substrate and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a plurality of channels extending from an outer surface to the inner surface, and a plurality of islands separated by the channels and providing a contact area to contact a polishing pad, wherein the contact area is about 15-40% of a plan area of the bottom surface.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A retaining ring, comprising:
a generally annular body having an inner surface to constrain a substrate and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a plurality of channels extending from an outer surface to the inner surface, and a plurality of islands separated by the channels and providing a contact area to contact a polishing pad, wherein the contact area is about 15-40% of a plan area of the bottom surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The retaining ring of claim 1, wherein the contact area is about 25-30% of the plan area of the bottom surface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The retaining ring of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels are spaced uniformly around the annular body.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The retaining ring of claim 3, wherein there are eight to thirty channels.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The retaining ring of claim 1, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels comprises an inlet portion at the outer surface, a constriction extending substantially perpendicular to the width of the retaining ring, and an outlet portion extending from the constriction to the inner surface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The retaining ring of claim 4, wherein the outlet portion widens toward the inner surface.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The retaining ring of claim 5, wherein the inlet portion is circumferentially longer than the outlet portion.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The retaining ring of claim 1, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge, and wherein the leading and trailing edge are not symmetric across a centerline of the channel.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The retaining ring of claim 8, wherein the leading edge comprises a linear segment extending across substantially all of a radial width of the bottom surface.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The retaining ring of claim 9, wherein the linear segment is oriented at an angle of about 30-60° relative to a radial direction.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The retaining ring of claim 8, wherein the trailing edge comprises a first portion extending substantially along a radial direction, and a second portion that is closer to the outer surface than the inner portion that extends substantially perpendicular to the first portion.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The retaining ring of claim 1, wherein the channel includes a recessed region adjacent the outer surface such that the channel is deeper in the recessed region than in a remainder of the channel.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The retaining ring of claim 12, wherein the recessed region and the remainder of the channel each have substantially uniform depth.

### Claim 14

A retaining ring, comprising:
a generally annular body having an inner surface to constrain a substrate and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a plurality of channels extending from an outer surface to the inner surface, and a plurality of islands separated by the channels and providing a contact area to contact a polishing pad, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the leading edge comprises a first linear segment at a first angle relative to a radial direction from the first linear segment, and wherein the trailing edge comprises a second linear segment at a second angle from a radial direction from the second linear segment, wherein the second angle is less than the first angle, and wherein the trailing edge comprises a third linear segment that is farther from the inner surface than the second linear segment and that extends substantially perpendicular to the second linear segment.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The retaining ring of claim 14, wherein the channel includes a recessed region adjacent the outer surface such that the channel is deeper in the recessed region than in a remainder of the channel.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The retaining ring of claim 15, wherein the recessed region and the remainder of the channel each have substantially uniform depth.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The retaining ring of claim 14, wherein the first linear segment is oriented at an angle of about 30-60° relative to the radial direction from the first linear segment.

### Claim 18

A carrier head, comprising:
a base;
a flexible membrane coupled to the base, the flexible membrane having a mounting surface for a substrate; and
a generally annular body coupled to the base having an inner surface to constrain the substrate and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a plurality of channels extending from an outer surface to the inner surface, and a plurality of islands separated by the channels and providing a contact area to contact a polishing pad, wherein the contact area is about 15-40% of a plan area of the bottom surface.