Substrate polishing metrology using interference signals
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsManoocher Birang, Grigory Pyatigorsky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of polishing a substrate includes holding the substrate on a polishing pad with a polishing head, wherein the polishing pad is supported by a platen, creating relative motion between the substrate and the polishing pad to polish a side of the substrate, generating a light beam and directing the light beam towards the substrate to cause the light beam to impinge on the side of the substrate being polished. Light reflected from the substrate is at a detector to generate an interference signal. A measure of uniformity is computed from the interference signal.
Claims12
A method of polishing a substrate, comprising:
- holding the substrate on a polishing pad with a polishing head;
- creating relative motion between the substrate and the polishing pad to polish a layer on the substrate;
- directing a light beam from the side of the substrate with the layer towards the substrate to cause the light beam to impinge on the layer being polished;
- receiving light reflected from the substrate at a detector to generate an interference signal;
- and
- computing a measure of uniformity of the thickness of the layer from the interference signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.