Method and apparatus for planarizing a microelectronic substrate with a tilted planarizing surface
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorScott E. Moore
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for planarizing a microelectronic substrate. In one embodiment, the apparatus can include an elongated, non-continuous polishing pad oriented at an angle relative to the horizontal to allow planarizing liquids and materials removed from the microelectronic substrate to flow off the polishing pad under the force of gravity. Two such polishing pads can be positioned opposite each other in a vertical orientation and can share either a common platen or a common substrate carrier. The polishing pads can be pre-attached to both a supply roll and a take-up roll to form a cartridge which can be easily removed from the apparatus and replaced with another cartridge.
Claims8
A method for removing material from a microelectronic substrate, comprising:
- inclining a planarizing surface of a non-continuous polishing pad relative to horizontal, the polishing pad including an elongated web coupled at one end to a supply roll and at an opposite end to a take-up roll;
- advancing the web over a platen from the supply roll to the take-up roll;
- engaging the microelectronic substrate with the planarizing surface of the polishing pad while the polishing pad is inclined relative to horizontal;
- passing a flow of ventilation gas along an inclined path generally parallel to the planarizing surface;
- and
- moving at least one of the polishing pad and the microelectronic substrate relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate while the polishing pad is inclined relative to horizontal and without moving the polishing pad in a continuous loop between two rollers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.