Pad break-in method for chemical mechanical polishing tool which polishes with ceria-based slurry
AssigneeMosel Vitelic, Inc.
InventorsKuo-Chun Wu, Wee-chen Richard Gan, Karen Wong
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Abstract
A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) method is disclosed in which a new polishing pad is broken-in and conditioned into a steady operating state while using a silica (SiO2) based CMP slurry and where the broken-in and conditioned pad is afterwards used for polishing patterned workpieces (e.g., semiconductor wafers) with a ceria (CeO2) based CMP slurry. The approach shortens break-in time and appears to eliminate a first wafer effect usually seen following break-in with ceria-based CMP slurries.
Claims18
A polishing method for use in a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) tool which uses an in-tool polishing pad and one or more supplied ceria (CeO2) based CMP slurries for in-tool chemical mechanical polishing of supplied workpieces, the method comprising:
- (a) roughening the in-tool polishing pad;
- (b) providing a batch of dummy workpieces within the CMP tool;
- (c) using one or more of the in-tool dummy workpieces in combination with a supplied one or more silica (SiO2) based CMP slurries to initialize the roughened polishing pad;
- (d) transferring a batch of non-dummy workpieces into the CMP tool;
- and
- (e) using the initialized polishing pad and one or more of the in-transferred non-dummy workpieces in combination with one or more ceria (CeO2) based CMP slurries to polish the one or more of the in-transferred non-dummy workpieces.
A polishing method comprising:
- (a) installing a polishing pad into a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) tool which uses one or more ceria (CeO2) based CMP slurries for chemical mechanical polishing of non-dummy workpieces;
- (b) roughening the installed polishing pad;
- (c) transferring a batch of dummy workpieces into the CMP tool;
- (d) using one or more of the in-transferred dummy workpieces in combination with one or more silica (SiO2) based CMP slurries to initialize the roughened and installed polishing pad;
- (e) transferring the batch of dummy workpieces out from the CMP tool;
- (f) transferring a batch of non-dummy workpieces into the CMP tool;
- and
- (g) using the initialized polishing pad and one or more of the in-transferred non-dummy workpieces in combination with one or more ceria (CeO2) based CMP slurries to polish the one or more of the in-transferred non-dummy workpieces.
An instruction conveying device for conveying to an instructable chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) tool, manufactured instructing signals that cause said CMP tool to carry out a polishing method comprised of:
- (a) roughening an installed polishing pad;
- (b) moving a batch of dummy workpieces for use within the CMP tool;
- (c) using one or more of the moved dummy workpieces in combination with one or more silica (SiO2) based CMP slurries to initialize the roughened polishing pad;
- (d) transferring a batch of non-dummy workpieces into the CMP tool;
- and
- (e) using the initialized polishing pad and one or more of the in-transferred non-dummy workpieces in combination with one or more ceria (CeO2) based CMP slurries to polish the one or more of the in-transferred non-dummy workpieces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.