Vibration damping during chemical mechanical polishing

• US 20050245181A1
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Zuniga, Steven M., Redeker, Fred C., White, John M., Chen, Hung Chih, Li, Shijian, Cheboli, Ramakrishna, Emami, Ramin
• Granted Patent: US 7,497,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 451/285
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/30 for single side lapping of plane surfaces

Abstract

A carrier head for chemical mechanical polishing is described. The carrier head includes a backing assembly, a housing and a damping material. The backing assembly includes a substrate support surface. The housing is connectable to a drive shaft to rotate with the drive shaft about a rotation axis. In one implementation, the damping material is in a load path between the backing assembly and the housing to reduce transmission of vibrations from the backing assembly to the housing.

Claims

1. A carrier head for chemical mechanical polishing, comprising:

a backing assembly including a substrate support surface;

a housing connectable to a drive shaft to rotate with the drive shaft about a rotation axis; and

a damping material in a load path between the backing assembly and the housing to reduce transmission of vibrations from the backing assembly to the housing.

2. The carrier head of claim 1, further comprising:

a gimbal mechanism between the backing assembly and the housing that permits at least a portion of the backing assembly to gimbal relative to the housing.

3. The carrier head of claim 2, where the gimbal mechanism includes:

a top coupled to the housing;

a bottom coupled to the backing assembly; and

the damping material is between the top and the bottom of the gimbal mechanism.

4. The carrier head of claim 2, where the gimbal mechanism includes;

a substantially planar flexure ring that flexes in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the flexure ring to gimbal at least a portion of the backing assembly relative to the housing; and

the damping material is mounted to the flexure ring.

5. The carrier head of claim 4, where the flexure ring includes a plurality of projections that extend in to the damping material.

6. The carrier head of claim 4, where the flexure ring includes a flange that extends into the damping material.

7. The carrier head of claim 1, where the damping material does not rebound to its original shape after being subjected to a deformation.

8. The carrier head of claim 7, where the damping material rebounds by less than approximately six percent of the deformation.

9. The carrier head of claim 1, where the backing assembly includes a flexible membrane secured to a substantially rigid base to define a pressurizable chamber and to provide the substrate support surface.

10. The carrier head of claim 1, where the damping material is viscoelastic.