Advanced polishing system
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChe-Liang Chung, Shich-Chang Suen, Chun-Kai Tai, Wei-Chen Hsiao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for polishing a polishing pad includes detecting, by a first sensor, a presence of a defect formed on a groove of a polishing pad; removing, by a polishing disc, the defect from the groove of the polishing pad; after removing the defect, measuring, by a second sensor, a remaining depth of the groove; and based on the measured remaining depth of the groove, applying, through the polishing disc, a polishing condition on the groove.
Claims20
A method for polishing a polishing pad, comprising:
- detecting, by a first sensor, a presence of a defect formed on a groove of a polishing pad;
- removing, by a polishing disc, the defect from the groove of the polishing pad;
- after removing the defect, measuring, by a second sensor, a remaining depth of the groove;
- and
- based on the measured remaining depth of the groove, applying, through the polishing disc, a polishing condition on the groove.
A method comprising:
- generating, by a first sensor of a dresser head, a topographical image of a top surface of a polishing pad, wherein the top surface of the polishing pad includes a plurality of grooves;
- measuring, by a second sensor of the dresser head that is coupled to the first sensor, a depth of each of the plurality of the grooves;
- and
- based on the measurement of the depth of each of the plurality of the grooves, applying, through a polishing disc coupled to the dresser head, a polishing condition on each of the plurality of the grooves.
An apparatus for a semiconductor process, comprising:
- a polishing pad that includes a plurality of grooves on a top surface of the polishing pad, wherein each of the plurality of grooves has a thickness;
- a polishing disc that is located above the polishing pad and is configured to polish the top surface of the polishing pad;
- and
- a dresser head that is coupled to the polishing disc, comprising:
- a first sensor that is configured to detect a presence of a defect formed on one of the plurality of the grooves during polishing;
- and
- a second sensor that is configured to measure the thickness of each of the plurality of grooves during polishing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.