Polishing method and apparatus

• US 6,667,238 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2000
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ebara Corporation, Toshiba Memory Corporation (Kioxia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ebara Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nadahara, Soichi, Kimura, Norio, Tomita, Hiroshi, Kodera, Masako, Matsui, Yoshitaka, Shirakashi, Mitsuhiko, Miyashita, Naoto, Tokushige, Katsuhiko, Asami, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, William A.
• Application Number:
  US09/545,504
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 438/692, 438/693, 438/745, 438/754, 134/1.3, 216/38, 216/88, 216/89, 216/100, 216/105, 216/91, 156/345.12
• US Class Current: 438/692
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/345 Feeding, loading or unloading work specially adapted to lapping

Abstract

A polishing apparatus is used for chemical mechanical polishing a copper (Cu) layer formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and then cleaning the polished substrate. The polishing apparatus has a polishing section having a turntable with a polishing surface and a top ring for holding a substrate and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface to polish a surface having a semiconductor device thereon, and a cleaning section for cleaning the substrate which has been polished. The cleaning section has an electrolyzed water supply device for supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate to clean the polished surface of the substrate while supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate.

Claims

1. A polishing method comprising:

polishing a surface of a substrate by holding the substrate and pressing the substrate against a polishing surface of a turntable, the surface of the substrate having a semiconductor device thereon; and

cleaning at least a polished surface of the substrate while supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate such that a metal-oxide film is formed on the polished surface of the substrate by said supplying electrolyzed water.

2. A polishing method according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyzed water is supplied to the polished surface and a back surface opposite to the polished surface.

3. A polishing method according to claim 1, further comprising applying ultrasonic vibrations to the electrolyzed water before supplying the electrolyzed water to the substrate.

4. A polishing method according to claim 1, further comprising supplying diluted hydrofluoric acid to the substrate after said cleaning and said supplying electrolyzed water.

5. A polishing method comprising:

conducting a primary polishing of a surface of a substrate by holding the substrate and pressing the substrate against a polishing surface of a turntable, the surface of the substrate having a semiconductor device thereon;

cleaning at least a polished surface of the substrate while supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate such that a metal-oxide film is formed on the polished surface of the substrate by said supplying electrolyzed water; and

conducting a secondary polishing of the polished surface of the substrate by holding the substrate and pressing the substrate against another polishing surface of another turntable.

6. A polishing method according to claim 5, wherein the electrolyzed water comprises anode electrolyzed water.

7. A polishing method according to claim 5, further comprising supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate which has been secondarily polished while the substrate is standing by for a subsequent operation.

8. A polishing method according to claim 5, further comprising cleaning the substrate which has been secondarily polished in a scrubbing cleaning process.

9. A polishing method according to claim 5, further comprising cleaning the substrate which has been secondarily polished by supplying electrolyzed water.

10. A polishing method according to claim 9, wherein the said electrolyzed water comprises anode electrolyzed water.

11. A polishing method according to claim 9, further comprising applying ultrasonic vibrations to the electrolyzed water before supplying the electrolyzed water to the substrate.

12. A polishing method according to claim 5, further comprising:

cleaning the substrate which has been secondarily polished and then drying the cleaned substrate; and

transferring the cleaned and dried substrate to a cassette.

13. A polishing method comprising:

polishing a surface of a substrate by holding the substrate and pressing the substrate against a polishing surface of a turntable, the surface of the substrate having a semiconductor device thereon;

supplying electrolyzed water to a polished surface of the substrate such that a metal-oxide film is formed on the polished surface of the substrate by said supplying electrolyzed water; and

supplying diluted hydrofluoric acid to the substrate after said supplying electrolyzed water.