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US 6,439,970 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for releasably attaching polishing pads to planarizing machines in mechanical and/or chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic-device substrate assemblies
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorMichael A. Walker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for releasably attaching a polishing pad to a support surface under the polishing pad. In one embodiment of the invention, a polishing pad has a first surface for planarizing a substrate assembly, a second surface contacting the support surface, and an interlocking element. The support surface has a retaining member configured to engage the interlocking element on the polishing pad. The interlocking element and retaining member can be any one of several configurations, including: tongue and groove, protuberance and depression, reciprocal elongated ridges, or teeth.
Claims24
A method of manufacturing a polishing pad for planarization of a microelectronic-device substrate assembly, comprising:
- fabricating a planarizing surface on a polishing pad;
- forming an interlocking element on a backside of the polishing pad, the interlocking element on a backside of the polishing pad being configured to engage a corresponding retaining member on a support surface;
- the interlocking element being selected from a first group consisting of an elongated tongue, an elongated groove, a depression, a protuberance, a first plurality of teeth, and a first plurality of pyramidal teeth;
- and the retaining member being selected from a corresponding second group consisting of an elongated groove, an elongated tongue, a protuberance, a depression, a second plurality of teeth, and a second plurality of pyramidal teeth, respectively;
- removing material from a substrate assembly by pressing the substrate assembly against a polishing pad and moving at least one of the polishing pad or the substrate assembly relative to the other;
- and
- inhibiting relative movement between the polishing pad and a support surface under the polishing pad in a direction transverse to a desired travel path of the polishing pad by engaging the interlocking element with the retaining member.
4 more elements
A method of planarizing a microelectronic-device substrate assembly, comprising:
- removing material from a substrate assembly by pressing the substrate assembly against a polishing pad and moving at least one of the polishing pad or the substrate assembly relative to the other;
- and
- inhibiting relative movement between the polishing pad and a support surface under the polishing pad in a direction transverse to a desired travel path of the polishing pad by engaging an interlocking element on a backside of the polishing pad with a retaining member on the support surface, the interlocking element being selected from a first group consisting of an elongated tongue, an elongated groove, a depression, a protuberance, a first plurality of teeth, and a first plurality of pyramidal teeth, and the retaining member being selected from a corresponding second group consisting of an elongated groove, an elongated tongue, a protuberance, a depression, a second plurality of teeth, and a second plurality of pyramidal teeth, respectively, where the interlocking element from the first group and the retaining member from the corresponding second group are configured to inhibit the relative movement between the polishing pad and the support surface when engaged.
A method of planarizing a microelectronic substrate assembly, comprising:
- removing material from a substrate assembly by pressing the substrate assembly against a polishing pad and moving at least one of the polishing pad or the substrate assembly relative to the other;
- coupling an interlocking element on a lower surface of a polishing pad and with a retaining member on a support surface defined by one of an upper surface of a table or a top surface of a sub-pad on the table, the interlocking element and the retaining member inhibiting relative movement between the polishing pad and the support surface by engaging the interlocking member with the retaining member, the interlocking element being selected from a first group consisting of an elongated tongue, an elongated groove, a depression, a protuberance, a first plurality of teeth, and a first plurality of pyramidal teeth;
- and the retaining member being selected from a corresponding second group consisting of an elongated groove, an elongated tongue, a protuberance, a depression, a second plurality of teeth, and a second plurality of pyramidal teeth, respectively, where the interlocking element from the first group and the retaining member from the corresponding second group are configured to inhibit the relative movement between the polishing pad and the support surface when engaged;
- pressing the substrate assembly against a planarizing surface of the polishing pad;
- imparting relative motion between the substrate assembly and the polishing pad to remove material from the substrate assembly;
- and
- sliding the polishing pad, at least periodically, across the table in a first direction to move one portion of the polishing pad out of a planarizing zone and to move another portion of the polishing pad into the planarizing zone.
4 more elements
A method for coupling a polishing pad to a support surface during planarization of a substrate assembly, comprising:
- aligning an interlocking element on a lower surface of the polishing pad with a retaining member on an upper surface of the support surface;
- and
- drawing a lower surface of the polishing pad against the support surface to engage the interlocking element and the retaining member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.