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US 6,586,336 B2Granted
Chemical-mechanical-polishing station
AssigneeOriol, Inc.
InventorIn Kwon Jeong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A small footprint, integrated and automated semiconductor wafer processing system for planarizing semiconductor wafers. That processing system includes a wafer load station, at least one CMP polishing system, and at least one cleaning system. Also included is at least one wafer unload station and a robotic system. The robotic system, which includes from two to six robotic movers, moves semiconductor wafers through the semiconductor wafer processing system. The semiconductor wafer processing system can also include a buffer system for temporarily holding semiconductor wafers. The buffer system, the robotic system, the cleaning system, the wafer load station, and/or the wafer unload station in some applications are capable of Z-axis motion. CMP polishing systems and cleaning systems can be vertically or linearly stacked.
Claims283
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for receiving semiconductor wafers;
- a CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- an unload station for receiving polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said CMP polishing system;
- and
- a second robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said multi-station cleaning system to said unload station.
4 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for receiving semiconductor wafers;
- a first multi-station CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said first multi-station CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a second multi-station CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said second multi-station CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a first multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a second multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a first unload station for receiving polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers;
- a second unload station for receiving polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said first multi-station CMP polishing system and into said second multi-station CMP polishing system;
- a second robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from the first multi-station cleaning system to said first unload station;
- and
- a third robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from the second multi-station cleaning system to said second unload station.
8 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a first CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said first CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a second CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said second CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a first multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a second multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a first unload station for receiving polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers;
- a second unload station for receiving polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said first CMP polishing system and into said second CMP polishing system;
- a second robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said first CMP polishing system into first multi-station cleaning system;
- a third robotic mover for moving polished semiconductor wafers from said second CMP polishing system into said second multi-station cleaning system;
- a fourth robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said first multi-station cleaning system into said first unload station;
- and
- a fifth robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said second multi-station cleaning system into second first unload station.
10 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a first multi-station CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said first multi-station CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a second multi-station CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said second multi-station CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a first multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a second multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a first unload station for receiving semiconductor wafers;
- a second unload station for receiving semiconductor wafers;
- a buffer station for temporarily holding semiconductor wafers;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said buffer station into said first multi-station CMP polishing system and into said second multi-station CMP polishing system, said first robotic mover further for moving semiconductor wafers from said first multi-station CMP polishing system and from said second multi-station CMP polishing into said first multi-station cleaning system and into said second multi-station cleaning system;
- and
- a second robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station to said buffer station, for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said first and second multi-station cleaning systems to said first and second unload stations.
8 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a first CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said first CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a second CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said second CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a first multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a second multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a first unload station for receiving cleaned and polished semiconductor wafers;
- a second unload station for receiving cleaned and polished semiconductor wafers;
- a wafer buffer station;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said wafer buffer station
- a second robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer buffer station into said first CMP polishing system and into said second CMP polishing system, said second robotic mover further for moving semiconductor wafers from said first CMP polishing system and from said second CMP polishing system into said wafer buffer station;
- a third robotic mover for moving polished semiconductor wafers from the wafer buffer station to said first multi-station cleaning system;
- a fourth robotic mover for moving polished semiconductor wafers from the wafer buffer station to said second multi-station cleaning system;
- a fifth robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said first multi-station cleaning system to said first unload station;
- and
- a sixth robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said second multi-station cleaning system to said second unload station.
12 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a first CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said first CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a second CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said second CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a first multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a second multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a first unload station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a second unload station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a wafer buffer station;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said wafer buffer station;
- a second robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer buffer station into said first CMP polishing system and into said second CMP polishing system;
- a third robotic mover for moving polished semiconductor wafers from said first CMP polishing system into said first multi-station cleaning system;
- a fourth robotic mover for moving polished semiconductor wafers from said second CMP polishing system into said second multi-station cleaning system;
- a fifth robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said first multi-station cleaning system to said first unload station;
- and
- a sixth robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said second multi-station cleaning system to said second unload station.
12 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a first CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said first CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a second CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said second CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a first multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a second multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a first unload station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a second unload station for storing semiconductor wafers;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said first CMP polishing system and into said second CMP polishing system;
- a second robotic mover for moving polished semiconductor wafers from said first CMP polishing system into said first multi-station cleaning system;
- a third robotic mover for moving polished semiconductor wafers from said second CMP polishing system into said second multi-station cleaning system;
- a fourth robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said first multi-station cleaning system to said first unload station;
- and
- a fifth robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said second multi-station cleaning system to said second unload station.
10 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for receiving semiconductor wafers;
- a CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a multi-station cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- an unload station for receiving polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers;
- a buffer station;
- a first robotic mover for moving received semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said buffer station, said first robotic mover further for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said multi-station cleaning system into said unload station;
- and
- a second robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said buffer station into said CMP polishing system, said second robotic mover further for moving polished semiconductor wafers from said CMP polishing system into said multi-station cleaning system.
5 more elements
A method of polishing a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
- receiving a semiconductor wafer having a surface area at a load station;
- transferring the received semiconductor wafer from the load station to a polishing station;
- polishing the received semiconductor wafer using a polishing pad and a chemical slurry, wherein the polishing pad contacts less than the first surface area;
- transferring the polished semiconductor wafer from the polishing station to a cleaning station;
- cleaning the polished semiconductor wafer in the cleaning station;
- rinsing the cleaned semiconductor wafer in the cleaning station;
- drying the rinsed semiconductor wafer in the cleaning station;
- and
- transferring the dried semiconductor wafer from the cleaning station to an unload station.
6 more elements
A method of polishing a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
- receiving semiconductor wafers, each having a surface area, at a wafer load station;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the wafer load station to a first CMP polishing station;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the wafer load station to a second CMP polishing station;
- polishing semiconductor wafers in the first CMP polishing station using a polishing pad and a chemical slurry, wherein the polishing pad contacts less than the surface area;
- polishing semiconductor wafers in the second CMP polishing station using a polishing pad and a chemical slurry, wherein the polishing pad contacts less than the surface area;
- transferring polished semiconductors from the first CMP polishing station to a first cleaning station;
- transferring polished semiconductors from the second CMP polishing station to a second cleaning station;
- cleaning polished semiconductor wafers at a first cleaning station;
- cleaning polished semiconductor wafers at a second cleaning station;
- unloading polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers station from the first cleaning station to a first unload station;
- and
- unloading polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers station from the second cleaning station to a second unload station.
9 more elements
A method of polishing a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
- receiving semiconductor wafers, each having a surface area, at a wafer load station;
- transferring received semiconductor wafers from the wafer load station to a buffer station;
- temporarily retaining semiconductor wafers at the buffer station;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the buffer station to a first CMP polishing station;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the buffer station to a second CMP polishing station;
- polishing semiconductor wafers in the first CMP polishing station using a polishing pad and a chemical slurry, wherein the polishing pad contacts less than the surface area;
- polishing semiconductor wafers in the second CMP polishing station using a polishing pad and a chemical slurry, wherein the polishing pad contacts less than the surface area;
- transferring polished semiconductors from the first CMP polishing station to a first cleaning station;
- transferring polished semiconductors from the second CMP polishing station to a second cleaning station;
- cleaning polished semiconductor wafers at the first cleaning station;
- cleaning polished semiconductor wafers at the second cleaning station;
- unloading polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers station from the first cleaning station to a first unload station;
- and
- unloading polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers station from the second cleaning station to a second unload station.
11 more elements
A method of polishing a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
- receiving semiconductor wafers, each having a surface area, at a wafer load station;
- transferring received semiconductor wafers from the wafer load station to a buffer station for temporary storage;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the buffer station to a first CMP polishing station;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the buffer station to a second CMP polishing station;
- polishing semiconductor wafers in the first CMP polishing station using a polishing pad and a chemical slurry, wherein the polishing pad contacts less than the surface area;
- polishing semiconductor wafers in the second CMP polishing station using a polishing pad and a chemical slurry, wherein the polishing pad contacts less than the surface area;
- transferring semiconductor wafers from the first CMP polishing station to the buffer station for temporary storage;
- transferring semiconductor wafers from the second CMP polishing station to the buffer station for temporary storage;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the buffer station to a first cleaning station;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the buffer station to a second cleaning station;
- cleaning polished semiconductor wafers at a first cleaning station;
- cleaning polished semiconductor wafers at a second cleaning station;
- unloading cleaned and polished semiconductor wafers station from the first cleaning station to a first unload station;
- and
- unloading cleaned and polished semiconductor wafers station from the second cleaning station to a second unload station.
12 more elements
A method of polishing a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
- receiving semiconductor wafers, each having a surface area, at a wafer load station;
- transferring received semiconductor wafers from the wafer load station to a buffer station;
- temporarily retaining semiconductor wafers at the buffer station;
- selectively transferring semiconductor wafers from the buffer station to a CMP polishing station;
- polishing semiconductor wafers in the CMP polishing station using a polishing pad and a chemical slurry, wherein the polishing pad contacts less than the surface area;
- transferring polished semiconductors from the CMP polishing station to a cleaning station;
- cleaning polished semiconductor wafers at the cleaning station;
- and
- unloading polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers station from the cleaning station to an unload station.
6 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for receiving semiconductor wafers;
- a CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- an unload station for receiving polished and cleaned semiconductor wafers;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said CMP polishing system, said first robotic mover further for moving polished semiconductor wafers from said CMP polishing system to said cleaning system;
- and
- a second robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said cleaning system to said unload station.
4 more elements
A semiconductor wafer processing system, comprising:
- a wafer load station for receiving semiconductor wafers;
- a CMP polishing system for polishing semiconductor wafers, said CMP polishing system having a polishing pad with a contact surface for contacting a semiconductor wafer, wherein said contact surface has a contact area that is less than a surface area of a contacted semiconductor wafer;
- a cleaning system for cleaning polished semiconductor wafers;
- a metrology station for measuring at least one parameter of cleaned semiconductor wafers;
- an unload station for receiving cleaned, polished, and measured semiconductor wafers;
- a first robotic mover for moving semiconductor wafers from said wafer load station into said CMP polishing system, said first robotic mover further for moving polished semiconductor wafers from said CMP polishing system to said cleaning system;
- a second robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said cleaning system to said metrology station;
- and
- a third robotic mover for moving cleaned semiconductor wafers from said metrology station to said unload station.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.