Work piece carrier with adjustable pressure zones and barriers and a method of planarizing a work piece

• US 7,014,541 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Novellus Systems Incorporated (Lam Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SpeedFam-Ipec Corporation (Lam Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Schultz, Stephen C., Korovin, Nikolay N., Herb, John D., Farmer, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUNG V
• Application Number:
  US10/672,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20040067717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 451/59, 451/41, 451285-290, 451/397, 451/398
• US Class Current: 451/59
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/30 for single side lapping of plane surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/32 Retaining rings
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 49/16 taking regard of the load

Abstract

An apparatus for planarizing a work piece includes an easily assembled work carrier. The carrier includes a carrier insert having a work piece bladder clamped to a carrier backing plate with a plurality of clamps to form a plurality of web plenums. The outer edge of the bladder is supported by a rib that is coupled to a carrier plenum. By adjusting the pressure in the carrier plenum, the pressure exerted on the edge of a work piece during a planarization operation can be adjusted. The carrier also includes a floating wear ring that surrounds the work piece bladder and a work piece mounted on that bladder. By adjusting the force exerted by the wear ring on a polishing pad, independently of the pressure exerted by the rib at the edge of the bladder, the material removal rate near the edge of the work piece can be controlled.

Claims

1. A carrier for planarizing a first surface of a work piece comprising:

a carrier housing;

a circular work piece bladder having a surface configured to press against a second surface of a work piece;

a circular clamp surrounding the work piece bladder and coupling the work piece bladder to the carrier housing;

a wear ring coupled to the carrier housing and surrounding the work piece bladder, the wear ring having a cross sectional shape configured to allow an inner diameter of the wear ring to be spaced near an edge of the work piece bladder and to avoid contact between the wear ring and the circular clamp.

2. The carrier of claim 1 wherein the wear ring comprises a toroidal structure having a thick portion at the outer periphery thereof and a thinner portion at the inner diameter thereof.

3. The carrier of claim 2 further comprising a wear ring diaphragm coupling the wear ring to the carrier housing and partially enclosing a wear ring plenum in which the pressure can be adjusted.

4. A method for planarizing a first surface of a work piece utilizing a CMP apparatus comprising:

a polishing pad;

a work piece diaphragm supported by at least an outermost pressure adjustable member aligned with an extreme outer perimeter of the work piece, and having a first surface for pressing against a second surface of the work piece;

at least one pressure adjustable web plenum positioned adjacent a second surface of the work piece diaphragm; and

a wear ring surrounding the work piece diaphragm and configured to press against the polishing pad, the pressure with which the wear ring presses against the polishing pad being adjustable, the method comprising the steps of;

positioning a second surface of a work piece adjacent the first surface of the work piece diaphragm;

establishing a predetermined pressure in the at least one web plenum;

pressing the wear ring against the polishing pad with a predetermined force;

adjusting independent of the predetermined force, the pressure of the outermost pressure adjustable member; and

initiating relative motion between the work piece diaphragm and the polishing pad.

5. The method for planarizing a first surface of a work piece of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

measuring the material removal profile across the first surface of the work piece; and

adjusting at least one of the wear ring pressing force, the pressure of the outermost pressure adjustable member, and the web plenum pressure based on the material removal profile measurement.

6. The method for planaraizing a first surface of a work piece of claim 4, wherein the outermost pressure adjustable member comprises a rib and pressure adjustable carrier plenum associate therewith.

7. The method for planarizing a first surface of a work piece of claim 6, wherein the at least one pressure adjustable web plenum comprises a plurality of pressure adjustable web plenums positioned against the second surface of the work piece diaphragm.