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US 6,648,734 B2Granted
Polishing head for pressurized delivery of slurry
AssigneeAgere Systems Inc.
InventorsFook Loong Chin, Arun Nanda, Frank Miceli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a polishing head, for use with a polishing apparatus. In one embodiment, the polishing head includes a carrier head assembly, and a retaining ring having a surface positionable adjacent a polishing pad and couplable to the carrier head assembly and configured to retain a semiconductor wafer therein, the retaining ring having a slurry conduit located therethrough to provide a flow of slurry to the polishing pad.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit, comprising:
- forming an integrated circuit layer over a semiconductor wafer;
- and
- polishing the integrated circuit layer, including:
- flowing a pressurized slurry through a slurry conduit located within a retaining ring of a carrier head assembly and against a surface of a polishing pad, wherein all portions of the slurry conduit located within the retaining ring make an angle normal with the surface of the retaining ring positionable adjacent the polishing pad, the pressurized slurry causing a surface of the polishing pad located under the retaining ring to deform in a direction away from the retaining ring.
1 more element
For use with a polishing apparatus, a polishing head, comprising:
- a carrier head assembly;
- and
- a retaining ring having a surface positionable adjacent a polishing pad and couplable to the carrier head assembly and configured to retain a semiconductor wafer therein, the retaining ring having a slurry conduit located therethrough to provide a flow of slurry to the polishing pad, wherein all portions of the slurry conduit located within the retaining ring make an angle normal with the surface of the retaining ring positionable adjacent the polishing pad.
A polishing system, comprising:
- a retaining ring having a surface positionable adjacent a polishing pad and couplable to a carrier head assembly and configured to retain a semiconductor wafer therein, the retaining ring having a slurry conduit formed therein to provide a flow of slurry to the polishing pad;
- wherein all portions of the slurry conduit located within the retaining ring make an angle normal with the surface of the retaining ring positionable adjacent the polishing pad;
- and
- a pump configured to deliver the flow of slurry under pressure through the slurry conduit to a surface of the polishing pad.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.