System for real-time control of semiconductor wafer polishing
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsGurtej S. Sandhu, Trung Tri Doan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for polishing a semiconductor wafer, the system comprising a wafer polishing assembly for polishing a face of a semiconductor wafer at a polishing rate and a polishing uniformity, the wafer polishing assembly including a platen subassembly defining a polishing area, and a polishing head selectively supporting a semiconductor wafer and holding a face of the semiconductor wafer in contact with the platen subassembly to polish the wafer face; and a controller selectively adjusting one of a plurality of adjustable polishing parameters during polishing of the wafer.
Claims20
A method of planarizing a substrate, comprising:
- biasing a polishing pad and the substrate against each other;
- sensing a change in an operating parameter associated with the polishing pad and the substrate at a substrate/pad contact point;
- and
- changing a bias between the polishing pad and the substrate at the substrate/pad contact point in response to sensing, wherein sensing a change in an operating parameter comprises sensing a change at each of a plurality of areas of the substrate and wherein biasing a polishing pad and the substrate against each other comprises generating friction across the substrate at least in part by biasing the substrate and a polishing surface against each other using a plurality of force-exerting applicators.
A method of planarizing a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
- biasing a polishing pad and the semiconductor substrate against each other;
- sensing a change in an operating parameter associated with the polishing pad and the semiconductor substrate at a semiconductor substrate/pad contact point;
- and
- changing a bias between the polishing pad and the semiconductor substrate at the semiconductor substrate/pad contact point in response to sensing, wherein sensing a change in an operating parameter comprises sensing a change at each of a plurality of areas of the semiconductor substrate and wherein biasing a polishing pad and the semiconductor substrate against each other comprises generating friction across the semiconductor substrate at least in part by biasing the semiconductor substrate and a polishing surface against each other using a plurality of force-exerting applicators.
A method of planarizing a substrate, comprising:
- biasing a polishing pad and the substrate against each other;
- sensing a change in an operating parameter associated with the polishing pad and the substrate at a substrate/pad contact point;
- and
- changing a bias between the polishing pad and the substrate at the substrate/pad contact point in response to sensing,
- wherein sensing a change in an operating parameter comprises sensing a change at each of a plurality of areas of the substrate,
- and wherein biasing a polishing pad and the substrate against each other comprises generating friction across the substrate at least in part by biasing the substrate and a polishing surface against each other using a plurality of force-exerting applicators.
A method of planarizing a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
- biasing a polishing pad and the semiconductor substrate against each other;
- sensing a change in an operating parameter associated with the polishing pad and the semiconductor substrate at a semiconductor substrate/pad contact point;
- and
- changing a bias between the polishing pad and the semiconductor substrate at the semiconductor substrate/pad contact point in response to sensing,
- wherein sensing a change in an operating parameter comprises sensing a change at each of a plurality of areas of the semiconductor substrate,
- and wherein biasing a polishing pad and the semiconductor substrate against each other comprises generating friction across the semiconductor substrate at least in part by biasing the semiconductor substrate and a polishing surface against each other using a plurality of force-exerting applicators.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.