Polishing media stabilizer

• US 7,381,116 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Sommer, Phillip R., Butterfield, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUNG V
• Application Number:
  US11/394,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 451/41, 451285-290, 451/296, 451/388, 451/168, 451/491, 451/494, 451/921
• US Class Current: 451/296
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/20 Lapping pads for working plane surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/26 characterised by the shape of the lapping pad surface, e.g. grooved
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/30625 With simultaneous mechanical treatment, e.g. mechanico-chemical polishing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 451/921 Pad for lens shaping tool

Abstract

A polishing apparatus that employs a polishing media retention arrangement to prevent slippage or wrinkles in the polishing media during polishing. The polishing media is drawn against a support surface by a vacuum applied between the polishing media and the support surface. Also, a porous layer may be placed between the polishing media and the support surface to form dimples in the polishing media upon the application of vacuum. An alternative arrangement draws the polishing media against a carrier and the substrate to be polished.

Claims

1. An apparatus for stabilizing a polishing surface comprising:

a substantially planar inflexible support base;

a flexible, advanceable polishing pad overlying the support base;

a resilient pad interposed between the polishing pad and the support base, the resilient pad being at least one of perforated and porous;

one or more vacuum ports disposed in the support base and underlying the polishing pad, wherein application of vacuum through the one or more vacuum ports pulls the polishing pad against the support base to maintain the polishing pad in a predetermined polishing position; and

a seal forming a perimeter around the one or more vacuum ports on the support base, wherein an airtight seal is formed between the support base and the polishing pad along the seal upon the application of vacuum.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the seal assembly further comprises a sealing barrier, a movable edge element, and a biasing element.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more vacuum ports lie around a perimeter of the support base.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more vacuum ports are substantially equally distributed over the support base.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more vacuum ports includes a group of relatively larger vacuum ports around a perimeter of the support base and a group of relatively smaller vacuum ports substantially equally distributed over an area of the support base within the perimeter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the perforated pad comprises perforations having a diameter less than about 0.25 inches.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support base further comprises a first groove formed therein, the first groove coupled to the vacuum port.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the support base further comprises a second groove formed therein.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the support base further comprises a third groove formed therein, the third groove intersecting the first and the second groove.

10. The polishing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a substrate carrier movably mounted with respect to the polishing pad and the support base.

11. A polishing apparatus comprising:

a flexible polishing pad adapted to contact a front surface of a substrate to be polished;

a substrate carrier adapted to support a back surface of the substrate;

at least one vacuum port adapted to apply vacuum against the flexible polishing pad; and

a sealing ring contacting the flexible polishing pad and forming a perimeter around the one or more vacuum ports.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising at least one port in a face of the substrate carrier for establishing a fluid bearing between the substrate carrier and the substrate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one port in the face is adapted to establish an air bearing between the face and the substrate.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising at least one port in a face of the substrate carrier for establishing fixation between the substrate carrier and the substrate.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein at least one port in the face is adapted to draw a vacuum between the substrate carrier and the substrate.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a vacuum source connected to the at least one port in the face.

17. An apparatus for stabilizing a polishing media comprising:

a substantially planar inflexible support base having a top surface;

a sealing ring disposed on the top surface of the support base;

an advanceable polishing media disposed over the top surface of the support base and contacting the sealing ring;

a means for drawing the polishing media against the support surface; and

at least two rolling turnbar elements wherein a tensioned portion forms straight-line tangent segments between the turnbar elements.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a polishing media supply roll and a polishing media take-up roll, wherein the tensioned portion extends from the supply roll to the take-up roll.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a portion of the tensioned portion passes around a conditioning system.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein another portion of the tensioned portion passes around a third rolling turnbar element, the third turnbar positioned vertically lower than the take-up roll forming an angle adapted for consistent release of the polishing media into a waste tank.