Method of controlling a polishing machine
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsGopalakrishna B. Prahbu, Steven T. Mear
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Recipes for the polishing machine, such as recipes for carrier head pressure, are generated from empirical data, and consequently can provide a more accurate prediction than techniques based upon theoretical models. A plurality of test substrates are polished with a plurality of parameter sets. A polishing profile is measured for each of the plurality of test substrates, and a polishing time is calculated for each polishing parameter set which minimizes the difference between a predicted substrate profile and a desired substrate profile.
Claims12
A method of determining a polishing recipe, comprising:
- polishing a plurality of test substrates with a plurality of polishing parameter sets, the polishing step including polishing at least one test substrate for each polishing parameter set in the plurality of polishing parameter sets;
- measuring a polishing profile for each of the plurality of test substrates;
- and
- calculating a polishing time for each polishing parameter set and calculating, based on the polishing profiles for the test substrates and the polishing time for each parameter set, a predicted substrate profile that results from polishing a device substrate using each of the plurality of polishing parameter sets for the polish time associated with that polishing parameter set so that the difference between the predicted substrate profile and a desired substrate profile is minimized.
A method of determining a polishing recipe, comprising:
- polishing a plurality of test substrates with a plurality of carrier head parameter sets that can be used during polishing of actual device substrates, including
- polishing a first set of test substrates to determine a variation in polishing profile as a function of a contact region diameter,
- polishing a second set of test substrates to determine the variation in the polishing profile as a function of a retaining ring pressure;
- measuring an amount of material removed at a plurality of different radial positions on each test substrate;
- creating a desired profile which represents a desired thickness across the substrate;
- and
- calculating a polishing time for each of the plurality of carrier head parameter sets that will result in predicted substrate profile substantially equal to the desired substrate profile.
A computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, the program comprising instructions operable to cause a machine to:
- polish a plurality of test substrates with a plurality of polishing parameter sets;
- measure a polishing profile for each of the plurality of test substrates;
- and
- calculate a polishing time for each polishing parameter set which minimizes the difference between a predicted substrate profile and a desired substrate profile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.