Method and system for vacuum removal of chemical mechanical polishing by-products

A vacuum removal system for removing polishing by-products from a wafer and efficiently removing conditioning by-product particles from a polishing pad in a chemical mechanical polishing machine comprising:

• a wafer detachably mounted on said polishing machine;
• a polishing pad mounted on said polishing machine for polishing said wafer, said wafer disposed against said polishing pad, said polishing pad frictionally moved against said wafer by said polishing machine, said polishing pad having a textured surface for carrying fresh slurry to said wafer and for removing consumed slurry and polishing by-product particles from said wafer;
• and
• a vacuum removal nozzle adapted to dislodge and remove said polishing by-product particles from said textured surface by suction, said vacuum removal nozzle mounted on a conditioner arm of said polishing machine such that said vacuum removal nozzle maintains close proximity with said textured surface as said textured surface moves in relation to said vacuum removal nozzle to efficiently remove conditioning by-product particles.

In a chemical mechanical polishing machine, a method of polishing a wafer , said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) placing the wafer onto a polishing pad of a chemical mechanical polishing machine;
• (b) dispensing slurry onto said polishing pad;
• (c) polishing said wafer through a combined action of frictionally moving said wafer against a surface of said polishing pad and flowing said slurry into contact with said wafer;
• and
• (d) dislodging and removing polishing by-product particles and conditioning by-product particles from said surface of said polishing pad by employing suction from a vacuum removal nozzle mounted on a conditioner arm of said chemical mechanical polishing machine such that said wafer is optimally polished by said combined action.

A vacuum removal system for removing conditioning by-product particles including polishing pad particles from the surface of a polishing pad in a chemical mechanical polishing machine for polishing semiconductor wafers, comprising:

• a vacuum removal nozzle adapted to dislodge and remove conditioning by-product particles from a textured surface of a polishing pad by suction, said vacuum nozzle having a plurality of vacuum ports, wherein each of said plurality of vacuum ports is disposed to dislodge and remove said conditioning by-product particles from a plurality of predetermined grooves formed into said textured surface;
• a mounting attachment connected to said vacuum removal nozzle, said mounting attachment mounted on a conditioner arm of a polishing machine and adapted to maintain close proximity of said vacuum removal nozzle with said textured surface, said mounting attachment adapted to mount said vacuum removal nozzle in close proximity to said conditioner arm such that said conditioning by-product particles are efficiently removed as said conditioner arm conditions said polishing pad;
• a vacuum line connected to said vacuum nozzle to convey a vacuum to said vacuum nozzle and to receive polishing by-product particles and said conditioning by-product particles from said vacuum nozzle;
• and
• a vacuum source connected to said vacuum line to generate said vacuum.