Extended pad life for ECMP and barrier removal

#1. Field of the Invention

#Embodiments of the invention generally relate to an apparatus and method for polishing a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, more particularly, to a polishing article and apparatus for polishing a substrate utilizing an electrochemical mechanical process.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

#FIG. 1 depicts a plan view of one embodiment of a polishing tool having a plurality of polishing stations.

#FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a platen assembly of one of the polishing stations of FIG. 1.

#To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is also contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation.

#Embodiments of the present invention describes an apparatus and method for extending polishing article service life, which is particularly beneficial for use with polishing tools having multiple polishing stations. The apparatus includes a polishing article that may be used on at least one station that is adapted to perform a portion of a planarization sequence by removing conductive and/or dielectric material from a substrate while minimizing downtime of the polishing tool.

#FIG. 1 depicts a plan view of one embodiment of a polishing tool 106, which may be a portion of a REFLEXION® Polishing tool, manufactured by Applied Materials, Inc., located in Santa Clara, Calif. Embodiments described herein may be used on this polishing tool, or on other polishing tools, including polishing tools from other manufacturers and particularly polishing tools that include one or more polishing stations configured for a polishing article in a roll format.