Carrier head with a flexible membrane for a chemical mechanical polishing system
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsSteven M. Zuniga, Manoocher Birang, Hung Chen, Sen-Hou Ko
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus. The carrier head includes a housing, a base, a loading mechanism, a gimbal mechanism, and a substrate backing assembly. The substrate backing assembly includes a support structure positioned below the base, a substantially horizontal, annular flexure connecting the support structure to the base, and a flexible membrane connected to the support structure. The flexible membrane has a mounting surface for a substrate, and extends beneath the base to define a chamber.
Claims10
A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus, comprising:
- a retaining ring;
- a support structure having a surface to receive a substrate;
- and
- a fluid source to introduce a fluid into a gap between the retaining ring and the support structure and force a slurry out of the gap.
A method of cleaning a carrier head, comprising:
- introducing a fluid into a gap between a retaining ring and a support structure that is vertically movable relative to the retaining ring to force a slurry out of the gap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.