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AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsTrung Tri Doan, Gurtej Singh Sandhu, Malcolm K. Grief
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A chemical-mechanical polishing apparatus includes a slurry-wetted polishing pad attached to a substantially planar surface of a platen. A wafer carrier is positioned in close proximity to the platen, and it has a substantially planar surface to which one side of a semiconductor wafer is removably attachable so that an opposing side of the semiconductor wafer is disposed against the polishing pad. An actuator imparts a translational motion to the platen so that the polishing pad moves relative to and in polishing contact with the semiconductor wafer. A sensor detects a change in the imparted translational motion corresponding to a change in the coefficient of friction between the polishing pad and the opposing side of the semiconductor wafer indicative of a planar end point on the opposing side of the semiconductor wafer. The sensor preferably includes a laser and a laser detector using a laser reflection or laser interferometric method to detect the change in the imparted translational motion. Also, the apparatus preferably includes a controller coupled to the sensor and the actuator to adjust the actuator in response to the sensor detecting a change in the imparted translational motion.
A polishing apparatus comprising:
A planar end-point detection device for a polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus including a platen having a substantially planar surface, a polishing pad attached to the platen's substantially planar surface, a wafer carrier having a substantially planar surface to which one side of a semiconductor wafer is removably attachable so that an opposing side of the semiconductor wafer is disposed against the polishing pad, and an actuator to impart a motion to one of the platen and the wafer carrier so that the polishing pad moves relative to and in polishing contact with the semiconductor wafer, the imparted motion having a maximum translational distance that changes in magnitude when the coefficient of friction between the wafer and the polishing pad changes, the detection device comprising a sensor to detect a change in the maximum translational distance in the imparted motion resulting from a change in the coefficient of friction between the polishing pad and the opposing side of the semiconductor wafer indicative of a planar end-point on the opposing side of the semiconductor wafer.
A polishing method comprising:
A planar end-point detection device in a polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus including a platen having a substantially planar surface, a polishing pad attached to the platen's substantially planar surface, a wafer carrier having a substantially planar surface to which one side of a semiconductor wafer is removably attachable so that an opposing side of the semiconductor wafer is disposed against the polishing pad, and an actuator to impart a motion to one of the platen and the wafer carrier so that the polishing pad moves relative to and in polishing contact with the semiconductor wafer, the actuator moving the one of the platen and the wafer carrier by a maximum translational distance having a magnitude which changes when the polishing pad polishes through to a planar end-point on the opposing side of the semiconductor wafer, the detection device comprising a sensor to detect a change in the magnitude of the maximum translational distance.
A planar end-point detection device in a polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus including a platen having a substantially planar surface, a polishing pad attached to the platen's substantially planar surface, a wafer carrier having a substantially planar surface to which one side of a semiconductor wafer is removably attachable so that an opposing side of the semiconductor wafer is disposed against the polishing pad, and an actuator to impart a motion to one of the platen and the wafer carrier so that the polishing pad moves relative to and in polishing contact with the semiconductor wafer, the actuator moving the one of the platen and the wafer carrier to a maximum translational velocity having a magnitude which changes when the polishing pad polishes through to a planar end-point on the opposing side of the semiconductor wafer, the detection device comprising a sensor to detect a change in the magnitude of the maximum translational velocity.
A planar end-point detection device in a polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus including a platen having a substantially planar surface, a polishing pad attached to the platen's substantially planar surface, a wafer carrier having a substantially planar surface to which one side of a semiconductor wafer is removably attachable so that an opposing side of the semiconductor wafer is disposed against the polishing pad, and an actuator to move the platen and the wafer carrier back and forth relative to one another so that the polishing pad repeatedly moves relative to and in polishing contact with the semiconductor wafer, the actuator moving the platen and the wafer carrier relative to one another at a maximum translational velocity and to a maximum translational distance during each back and forth movement, the detection device comprising a sensor for detecting one of the maximum translational distance and the maximum translational velocity during each back and forth movement and for detecting a change in the detected one of the maximum translational distance and maximum translational velocity indicative of the polishing pad polishing through to a planar end-point on the opposing side of the semiconductor wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.