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US 6,159,079 AGranted
Carrier head for chemical mechanical polishing a substrate
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsSteven Zuniga, Hung Chen, Manoocher Birang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a flexible membrane with a lip portion to engage a substrate to form a seal for improved vacuum-chucking.
Claims26
A carrier head for chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate, comprising:
- a base;
- and
- a flexible membrane extending beneath the base to define a pressurizable chamber, a lower surface of the flexible membrane providing a mounting surface for applying a load to a substrate, the flexible membrane including an inner portion and a lip portion surrounding the inner portion, the lip portion positioned and arranged such that, when a substrate is positioned against the mounting surface and the chamber is evacuated to pull the inner portion of the flexible membrane away from the substrate, the lip portion will be drawn against the substrate to form a seal therebetween.
A carrier head for chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate, comprising:
- a base;
- a support structure movably connected to the base;
- and
- a flexible membrane extending beneath the base to define a pressurizable chamber, a lower surface of the flexible membrane providing a mounting surface for applying a load to a substrate, the flexible membrane including an inner portion and a lip portion surrounding the inner portion, the lip portion positioned and arranged such that, when a substrate is positioned against the mounting surface and the chamber is evacuated to pull the inner portion of the flexible membrane away from the substrate, the lip portion will be drawn against the substrate to form a seal therebetween;
- wherein a projection extends downwardly from a lower surface of the support structure to contact a top surface of the flexible membrane.
2 more elements
A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus, comprising:
- a rotatable polishing pad;
- a slurry supply to provide slurry to the polishing pad;
- and
- a carrier head including a base and a flexible membrane extending beneath the base to define a pressurizable chamber, a lower surface of the flexible membrane providing a mounting surface for applying a load to a substrate, the flexible membrane including an inner portion and a lip portion surrounding the inner portion, the lip portion positioned and arranged such that, when a substrate is positioned against the mounting surface and the (chamber is evacuated to pull the inner portion of the flexible membrane away from the substrate, the lip portion will be drawn against the substrate to form a seal therebetween.
1 more element
A method of chemical mechanical polishing, comprising:
- positioning a substrate on a mounting surface of a carrier head that includes a base and a flexible membrane extending beneath the base to define a pressurizable chamber, a lower surface of the flexible membrane providing the mounting surface the flexible membrane including a lip portion;
- pressurizing the chamber to urge the substrate into contact with a polishing surface;
- creating relative motion between the substrate and the polishing surface;
- and
- evacuating the chamber to pull an inner portion of the flexible membrane away from the substrate and draw the lip portion of the membrane against the substrate to form a seal therebetween.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.